Former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois speaks at a “Republicans for Harris” event in Raleigh on Oct. 31. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow)
For the past several months, former Republican Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former top Trump administration official Olivia Troye, and former Republican members of congress Joe Walsh and Susan Molinari have crisscrossed battleground states delivering one message: Republicans must support Kamala Harris over Donald Trump, whom them view as a threat to democracy.
As the 2024 election enters its final stretch, the group identifying as “Republicans for Harris” gathered in Raleigh on Thursday to promote that message. The speakers painted former President Trump as a threat to democracy, a man they said who has repeatedly demonstrated his disdain for the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power.
“This election is about protecting the fiber and the fabric of who we are as America, not only here domestically, but before the entire world,” said Olivia Troye, a former national security official in the Trump administration. “Voters are deciding not only between two candidates, but between two visions for our country.”
In his speech, Walsh, a longtime critic who voted for Trump in 2016, emphasized the urgency of the moment.
“I don’t want to talk about policy, and I don’t want to talk about this or that,” said Walsh. “We’re six days away from the election we have to do everything we can to make sure that that man, that guy, is not reelected.”
It’s unclear whether their efforts can truly make a difference in an increasingly polarized political landscape. Nonetheless, speakers at today’s event expressed a strong belief that there is a silent segment of conservatives who share their concerns about the country’s direction. And as the election approaches, this group of voters could hold the key to determining the outcome.
Duncan described this movement as the “Whisper Caucus”—a group of conservatives disillusioned with the Republican Party under Trump, yet hesitant to voice their dissent publicly. He expressed hope that this silent faction is gaining momentum and could play a crucial role in Tuesday’s election.
“This is a group that walks up to me, and in fact, I saw many times at the airport already today, just flying up here, where they get their hands up and say, ‘Hey, I’m a Republican. I appreciate what you’re doing, and I’m going to do the same thing,’” said Duncan.
Walsh echoed similar sentiments, expressing his belief in a growing, albeit quiet, support for Harris among Republicans. Walsh said he has travelled to all the battleground states in the past two months engaging Republicans who afraid to come out publicly against Trump.
“I know all of us have been bombarded in every state by Republicans who’ve said, quietly, ‘Joe, I’m with her. I just can’t say anything out loudly.’ That’s why I believe there’s like this huge groundswell of support for her that the polls just are not picking up.”
The “Republicans for Harris” campaign is betting that by giving these conservatives a voice and a sense of validation, they can tip the scales in favor of Harris. “We’re going into heavily conservative areas in the country and states, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County, of course, in areas around here, in North Carolina, in Georgia, because what we’re trying to do is give a permission structure to Republicans that just can’t see themselves voting for a Democrat because they’re they’re not a Democrat,” Duncan said.
The main goal between now and the election is reaching that silent contingent and giving them the courage not just to break ranks with their party but vote for Harris. “My job is to encourage this Whisper Caucus, not just to make a point and not vote for Donald Trump, but to truly make a difference and vote for Kamala Harris, sending a message that we want Donald Trump to never be in politics again, certainly never in the Republican Party again,”
The stakes, Duncan said, could not be higher.
Time reported on Thursday that the list of prominent Republicans publicly supporting Harris is a long one that includes former Vice President Dick Cheney, his daughter former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, an array of former and current elected officials and “more than 200 Republicans who worked for both Bush Presidents, the late Sen. John McCain, and Sen. Mitt Romney.”