Sen. Tom Cotton says endorsements are not going to make or break the November election, after a former vice president became the highest-ranking Republican yet to support the Democratic presidential candidate.
“Well, it is a remarkable time in politics. You have Dick Cheney endorsing a Democrat and you have a Kennedy endorsing a Republican,” the Arkansas Republican said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I think what it tells us is that there’s a lot of ferment in American politics,” Mr. Cotton said. “But, in the end, endorsements are not going to make the difference in this race. What’s going to make the difference is their records. This is a very unusual presidential election.”
Mr. Cheney said over the weekend that he is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.
“In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” he said in a statement. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again.”
“As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution,” he said. “That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
His endorsement came after his daughter, Liz Cheney, said she and her father would both vote for Ms. Harris.
Mr. Cotton said this presidential election is “very unusual.”
“We have a former president running for office, first time in more than a hundred years,” he said.
He said that most Americans “are making their decision based on the records” of the two presidential candidates.
The Cheneys aren’t the only Republicans, however, to throw their support behind Ms. Harris. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan have also expressed their dislike of Mr. Trump and spoken in support of Ms. Harris.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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