As Kamala Harris’ campaign tries to reach disaffected Republican voters, prominent voices in the Never Trump movement remain conflicted about the direction of the Democratic ticket — and their role in the American political landscape.
Many of these anti-Trump Republicans applauded Harris’ decision to pick Tim Walz as a running mate, saying it could help win over swing state voters and serve the ultimate goal of defeating Donald Trump. But some in the movement are raising concerns that the Harris-Walz campaign isn’t doing enough to bring Republicans more ideologically aligned with Mitt Romney than Trump under the Democratic tent.
Heath Mayo, the founder of Principles First, argued Harris and Walz need to do more to establish Democrats’ support for Israel, “make it absolutely clear that a Harris-Walz administration will be ‘capitalist,’” denounce “rioters” and tout the bipartisan immigration deal Republicans ultimately walked away from.
“If they do these things, they can win the percentage of principled conservatives and independents that they’ll need to make the difference in close states like PA, MI, WI and AZ,” Mayo wrote.
Harris has already staked out many of those positions. Still, not all Never Trumpers see themselves in a position to make demands at all.
Republican Trump critic Matt Labash batted down the notion that Democrats would seek a true “coalition” government with disaffected Republicans.
“Was that ‘coalition’ ever serious? I never thought there’d be a Secretary of Defense Liz Cheney under Biden,” he told NOTUS. “And I don’t think Dems really need Never Trumpers. Nor do most Never Trumpers I know want to be Dems. I think the two sides have found common cause for the moment: They both think Trump presents an existential danger to democracy.”
Labash’s sentiment shows how the Never Trump movement is in a much different place than it was in 2016, or even 2020.
Charlie Sykes, a conservative commentator and writer for The Bulwark, told NOTUS this election was about one thing: defeating Trump.
“In 2016, I voted for Evan McMullin,” Sykes told NOTUS. “I don’t think that Never Trump has that luxury anymore … So even though it was once unthinkable conservative Republicans to vote for somebody as progressive as Kamala Harris, if you do actually recognize Donald Trump as an existential threat to the constitutional order, then it’s a surprisingly easy decision.”
Making that decision, Sykes said, “means voting for somebody that you disagree with fundamentally on a range of policy.”
This sentiment appears to be taking hold among prominent anti-Trump Republicans — even those who were disappointed Harris didn’t pick Gov. Josh Shapiro as a running mate.
“I’m a conservative Never Trumper. I would absolutely prefer a more moderate VP pick, but I also know that I belong to a microscopic constituency,” David French posted on Threads.
French continued: “If conservatism is going to have a viable future, then Trump has to lose. He’s draining the entire right of any meaningful ideology or ethos.”
Walz also appears to have won over a lot of skeptics.
“I reserve the right to be disappointed in [Walz] down the line or as more of his record comes to light, but after seeing him stump a little, I think he might be what the doctor ordered,” Labash said. “He looks like he could be Chris Farley’s dad. He knows how to throw a punch, and he’s kind of funny. And he comes off much more man of the people and less effete than the faux hillbilly.”
Joe Walsh, the former Republican congressman turned Never Trumper, loved the Walz selection.
“Walz is a really good pick. The Democratic Party has become way too elitist, they need more ‘regular folk’ faces & voices like Walz.” Walsh posted on X. “Regular guy Tim will do well in PA, MI, and WI.”
As Ross Douthat, a New York Times columnist, wrote, this era of the Never Trump movement may simply come down to accepting a diminished standing in American politics.
“Two lessons for the now pro-Kamala form of NeverTrump. First it’s hard to play a coalitional role if your faction lacks real political leaders; NeverTrump spoke for a real type of voter but needed a Romney-Collins-Manchin caucus for sustained leverage. Second, in politics the harsh reality is that if you ask for nothing in return for your support, you will receive even less than that,” Douthat posted.
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Ryan Hernández is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.