Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger in his Democratic National Convention speech that “Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party,” endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris for president.
“His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness, sapping our strength, softening our spine, whipping us into a fever that has untethered us from our values,” he said.
Kinzinger, who represented Illinois in Congress from 2011 to 2023, directed his speech not to the Democrats in Chicago’s United Center Thursday night, but to members of his own party.
“I’ve learned something about the Democratic Party, and I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret,” he said. “The Democrats are as patriotic as us. They love this country just as much as we do. And they are as eager to defend American values at home and abroad as we conservatives have ever been.”
“I’ve learned something about my party, too. Something I couldn’t ignore,” he continued. “The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance. From the principles that gave it purpose, to a man whose only purpose is himself.”
Kinzinger, who in his speech said he “still hold[s] onto the label” of Republican, was a Trump critic before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In the wake of the violent insurrection, Kinzinger was one of only ten Republicans to vote to impeach Trump in the former president’s second impeachment trial.
Kinzinger also voted to create, and then sat on, the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 riot. He and former Rep. Liz Cheney were the only Republicans on the committee.
U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) speaks next to chairman U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) during the fifth of eight planned public hearings of the U.S. House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. June 23, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
“Our democracy was frayed by the events of January 6th, as Donald Trump’s deceit and dishonor led to a siege on the United States Capitol,” he said. “How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair election?”
Kinzinger, who in June endorsed Democrat Joe Biden before the president dropped his bid for reelection, was not the first Republican to speak at this year’s Democratic convention.
Several former Trump voters and staffers spoke at the DNC this week, endorsing Harris in an effort to convince their fellow Republicans to vote against their party and its leader.
“Democracy knows no party,” Kinzinger said. “It is a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation. It is the bedrock that separates us from tyranny — and when that foundation is fractured, we must all stand united to strengthen it.”
“If you think those principles are worth defending, I urge you: Make the right choice. Vote for our bedrock values. Vote for Kamala Harris.”
Read More: Trump ‘suffocated the soul; of the GOP