Republicans flock to Democratic convention with ‘common cause’ to elect Harris

globalnews.ca:

This week’s Democratic National Convention may not just be notable for U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris’s historic nomination for president, but also for the number of high-profile Republican speakers supporting her.

Day 2 of the convention on Tuesday will be hosted by a longtime Republican critic of Donald Trump, and anti-Trump Republican groups have flocked to Chicago to show their support for Harris and warn of the dangers of electing Trump.

“We’re here (at the convention) to make common cause with the (Democratic) party faithful for the purpose of this election,” said Craig Snyder, director of Haley Voters for Harris, a group of like-minded Republicans who cast votes for former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley in this year’s Republican primaries.

Snyder told Global News the group is developing messaging to reach right-leaning independents and moderate Republicans “to show them that there is a community of people who agree with them, who are like-minded with them, but who’ve reached the conclusion that voting for the vice-president is the best thing to do for the country.”

Resistance to Trump from within his own party has steadily increased since Trump first launched his 2016 campaign, and some GOP officials and former supporters were featured speakers at the last Democratic convention in 2020. But that event was an entirely virtual affair due to the pandemic, and most of those Republicans were limited to the opening night.

This year, Republicans are being featured every night of the convention in front of huge crowds at the United Center, where they will underscore the growing opposition to Trump among traditional and moderate conservatives and help paint Harris as a consensus candidate.

Tuesday’s speaking