The Democratic Convention is like a family reunion – a reunion sometimes enlivened by unexpected guests. Namely, Republicans. On Thursday, August 22, former Illinois House Representative Adam Kinzinger is expected to take the podium. Now a regular on CNN, he was a member of the committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, along with his colleague Liz Cheney, daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney. As such, Kinzinger is considered a traitor in his former party, now absorbed by Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

The family of "Never Trumpers" – Republicans resolutely hostile to the former president – has been around for years. Some voted for Joe Biden in 2020. They are regularly seen on TV sets as Trump's prosecutors. Nevertheless, the appearance of these Republicans at the Chicago convention is a spectacular symbolic act, a form of transgression in ultra-polarized American politics. Whether it's the mayor of Mesa, Arizona, John Giles, presenter Ana Navarro or Olivia Troye, former adviser to vice president Mike Pence, they represent more than just themselves.

Their appearance reflects both the ethical drift of the Republican Party, once their home, and the Harris-Walz team's desire to appeal to traditional conservatives, moderates, independents and the undecided. While Nikki Haley, Trump's last rival in the Republican primaries, eventually rallied behind his candidacy at the party's convention in July, many activists who had supported her abhor her choice. Some have even joined the Democratic campaign, in a group called "Haley Voters for Harris".

Among the Republicans present in Chicago, Geoff Duncan, the former lieutenant governor of Georgia, gave a particularly well-received speech on Wednesday. A former top-level baseball player, in 2020 he resisted the pressure exerted by Trump and his entourage on officials in his state in order to question the outcome of the presidential election. After renouncing his bid for re-election, he became a resolute Trump critic. In May, he announced he would vote for Biden. After the latter's withdrawal, he pledged his commitment to Kamala Harris.

Duncan said his own party had become "a cult worshipping a felonious thug." He addressed moderate conservatives and independents, saying: "Look, you don't have to agree with every policy position of Kamala Harris. I don't. But you do have to recognize her prosecutor mindset that understands right from wrong." He concluded with: "If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you're not a Democrat. You're a patriot."

You have 19.94% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.