(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Some prominent Illinois Republicans are supporting Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential race.
The Harris campaign has events planned in states like Arizona, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where they’ll not only highlight Kamala Harris’ new vice presidential running mate but also notable Republicans who are backing her candidacy.
Here in Illinois, those GOP members include former Congress members Adam Kinzinger and Joe Walsh, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar.
To be clear, all four did not back Republican President Donald Trump in the last election, and LaHood’s son, Darin LaHood, is solidly in the Trump camp.
But, the Harris campaign is trying to build momentum for the Democratic ticket.
“As a proud conservative, I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for President," Kinzinger said in a statement. “But, I know Vice President Harris will defend our democracy and ensure Donald Trump never returns to the White House.”
Kinzinger developed a national profile as one of two Republicans on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The committee highlighted a number of Trump’s transgressions before and during the deadly attack as Congress tried to certify the results of the 2020 election that Biden won over Trump.
Trump has done little to try to win over moderate Republican voters and on Saturday criticized anew Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who rebuffed Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election in the battleground state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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