Anti-Trump Republicans doubled down this week on efforts to create a “permission structure” for conservatives to cast their presidential ballot this year for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Thursday former U.S. Representative Fred Upton, the one-time dean of Michigan’s congressional delegation, joined a growing group of Republicans urging a vote for Harris.
“I want my party back and I think there are a lot of us out there saying the same thing,” he told Rick in a phone call. “We want our party back.”
The endorsement is not entirely a surprise since Upton was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over his role in the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol. Upton retired two years ago after voting to impeach.
Upton says he’s focused on that sliver of Michigan voters who are still on the fence.
“The undecided voters that are out there, they’re going to swing the election one way or the other,” he said. “We see these polls – every day there’s another poll that shows somebody’s ahead inside the margin of error.”
Former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, also one of the 10 GOP members to vote yes on impeachment (she later lost her primary as a result), was in Oakland County on Monday with Vice President Harris to speak directly to moderate suburban women who may be weary of the Trump dramas. Harris and Cheney also visited fellow “blue-wall” swing-states Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
There’s no illusion that a majority of Republican voters will defect, but the Harris campaign is trying to create a safe space for GOP voters in the Democratic camp, even if it’s just in this year’s presidential race.
But the Trump campaign says it won’t work.
“Michigan families are worried about paying their bills, putting food on the table, and saving for their kids' college tuition,” said Victoria LaCivata, the Trump campaign’s Michigan communications director. “Any ‘Republican' campaigning for another four years of unfettered illegal immigration and rising prices under Kamala Harris is neither Republican nor worth listening to."
The Trump campaign, meantime, is making its own play to bring non-traditional Democrats into the GOP fold this year. Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has endorsed Trump, who, as one of his final acts in office, commuted Kilpatrick’s prison sentence on corruption convictions.
But, in the end, how much do endorsements really move the needle? Winning crossover voters can be an elusive mission.
As CNN noted this week: “Harris’ events with Cheney raised the question of just how many Republican voters might be in reach for her. The New York Times poll found that 9% of likely Republicans planned to vote for her and only 3% of Democrats expected to vote for Trump. If that happened in November’s election, it would represent a significant challenge to Trump’s chances. Still, given the country’s polarization, there are still real doubts that large numbers of Republicans or even conservative-leaning independents will break toward the Democratic nominee.”
Dig deeper: While we’re on the topic of crossover endorsements, Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement raised a lot of eyebrows in Lansing this week as she endorsed Democratic nominee Kimberly Thomas for a seat on the state’s highest court.
Clement, who was first appointed by Republican Governor Rick Snyder and later nominated at a GOP convention, broke ranks by declining to back GOP nominee state Representative Andrew Fink.
“I know she and I will not agree on every issue, but her experience and background and commitment to civility and access to justice will make the Court stronger,” Clement said in a written statement.
The court is ostensibly non-partisan and candidates appear on the non-partisan part of the ballot. But court nominees are typically selected at party conventions. Clement has shown an independent streak in her legal decisions and was selected as chief justice by a court with a Democratic majority. The endorsement of Thomas pretty much guarantees that Clement won’t get another GOP convention nomination if she decides to run again when her seat is up in two years. But, as an incumbent on the court, Clement can self-nominate for reelection.
Have an Election 2024 question? Or, just want to let us know what you want more of (less of?) in the newsletter? We always want to hear from you! Shoot us an email at politics@michiganpublic.org!
What we’re talking about at the dinner table:
Voting watch: The Secretary of State’s office has created a new digital dashboard where you can keep track of the latest voting numbers in the state (we’ve already bookmarked the page). As of Friday morning, more than 1.4 million absentee ballots had already been turned in. And, as we talked about in last week’s newsletter, early in-person voting began in Michigan for the first time in a presidential election and nearly 11,000 folks have already voted in Detroit, East Lansing and Canton Township. Early in-person voting begins in the rest of the state Saturday. Find out where you can vote early.
Absentee watch: If you’re one of those million-plus voters who’ve already returned your absentee ballot, maybe you’re wondering where it actually goes. Rick went on the road this week to follow a voter’s absentee ballot from application to being dropped off and counted. People are still getting used to all the voting options available. One of the interesting things that the public does not get to see is how ballots are tracked and their whereabouts recorded every step of the way. Clerks are taking ballot security very seriously.
Results watch: Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s Democratic Secretary of State, said this week that she expects to have unofficial election results by the end of the day Wednesday, November 6th. But as The Hill reports, “Benson said she is optimistic that this year’s results could come back even sooner because the state has more options to process ballots than it has in the past,” and as Bridge Michigan’s Simon Schuster notes, “While it could take nearly a day for state results, third parties including the Associated Press regularly call races long before unofficial results are available.”
IJP on the road:
Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta were joined by Detroit Free Press political editor Emily Lawler and Western Michigan University political science professor John Clark at Bell's Eccenctric Cafe in Kalamazoo last night. They discussed all that's happened in Michigan as we head into the final days before Election Day.
Yours in political nerdiness,
Rick Pluta & Zoe Clark
Co-hosts, It’s Just Politics
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