Republican former Sen. Jeff Flake endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing that she is the choice for conservatives in this election, not former President Donald Trump.
The former Arizona senator, who is anti-Trump, told MSNBC that he’s voting for Ms. Harris “not in spite of being a Republican or conservative, but because I am conservative.”
In the interview, which aired Sunday night, Mr. Flake made a case that Ms. Harris embodies traditional conservative values, ranging from respect for law enforcement to free trade.
“Conservatives, first and foremost believe in the rule of law, and to have a president, a former president, who lost a free and fair election and then attempted to overturn that election. How can a conservative support such a person?” he asked in a clear reference to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Flake also accused Republicans of abandoning their support of free trade in favor of tariffs, traditionally favored by Democrats and liberals. He said the GOP used to argue that tariffs should only be used in certain circumstances.
“But to believe that if we’re going to bring a bunch of money into the Treasury by using tariffs is just so antithetical to what Republicans believe,” Mr. Flake said.
Mr. Flake, one the most vocal Republican critics of Mr. Trump, left the Senate in 2019 after not seeking a second term. He endorsed President Biden in 2020 and served as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey until last month.
Ms. Harris has aggressively sought to pick off dissatisfied Republicans by promoting her GOP support. She is betting that enough conservatives have serious concerns about Mr. Trump that bringing them into the fold could swing a tight election.
This week she will host a series of moderated conversations with Republican former Rep. Liz Cheney and two conservative talk show personalities.
Last week, Ms. Harris made a bid to welcome disaffected conservatives into her coalition at an event in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where she showcased more than 100 Republican supporters. During her remarks, she urged Republicans to put country over party and unify against Mr. Trump, whom she said has no regard for the Constitution.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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