POLITICS
Which Republicans are speaking at the 2024 Democratic National Convention and voting for Harris over Trump?
The event features a diverse range of speakers but much has been made of the “patriotic” stance taken by many that normally wear red.
One of the lines that will live on past the 2024 Democratic National Convention is: “If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot!”
That must have struck a chord with many regular Republican voters across the United States, especially those who find themselves in the position of disagreeing with some of the opposing party’s policies but who are completely unable to stomach the idea of voting for someone like Donald Trump and all that he, and running mate JD Vance, represent. Conservative values are what appear to be at stake for many Republicans and this has seen several of them switch voting paths for the 2024 presidential election. So much so that some of them have hung their ‘patriotic’ hat on Harris and Walz, even taking to the stage at the DNC this week.
As Pete Buttigieg said to Stephen Colbert, “We may have set a record for Republicans speaking at a Democratic convention.”
Indeed, the Democrats have been very upfront about getting Republicans involved – with Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney also in attendance – as the Harris campaign’s director Austin Weatherford said.
“We will be putting patriotic Republicans front and centre in our convention programming to explain, in their own words, why they are putting country first and supporting Vice President Harris.” Let’s take a look at those he was speaking about.
Republican speakers at 2024 DNC:
Monday
Rich Logis (via video) - formerly part of the Trump team and MAGA group
Tuesday
Kyle Sweetser - former Trump voter in Alabama
Stephanie Grisham - White House press secretary under Trump
John Giles - Mayor of Mesa, Arizona
Wednesday
Olivia Troye - homeland security aide to former VP Mike Pence
Geoff Duncan - former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia and Georgia State Representative
Thursday
Adam Kinzinger - former House Republican from Illinois
More to be updated when announced...
Let’s listen to a few of those involved.
Rich Logis
“I finally stepped out of the MAGA echo chamber, and I realized Trump had been lying about pretty much everything.”
Stephanie Grisham
“I saw him when the cameras were off. Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them ‘basement dwellers.’ ...He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.”
Geoff Duncan
“Doing the right thing will never be the wrong thing. Stay strong.”
The 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, sees current Vice President Harris formally nominated as the party’s presidential candidate, making her the first Black woman and the first person of colour to be nominated by a major party. The convention has focused on uniting the Democratic Party and rallying support from within, while also offering a viable alternative to Republicans who put the future of their country ahead of political noise.