No regrets from this Republican about endorsing Harris

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On a picturesque October day, I stood on a stage in Pennsylvania with Republicans from across the country to support a true patriot’s presidential run. We listened as Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the importance of putting the country before the party and coming together as Americans.

The location of Harris’ historic speech — Washington Crossing Historic Park — could not have been more perfect. At that site on Christmas night in 1776, George Washington crossed the icy Delaware River with over 2,000 troops as they traveled to Trenton, New Jersey, and later victory at the Battle of Trenton during the American Revolutionary War.

My journey as a Republican from Minnesota to being on that stage in Pennsylvania to support a Democrat for president began earlier this year.

As a lifelong Republican, I endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (”My time for choosing: I’m a Republican and I’m endorsing Harris and Walz,” Aug. 12) for president and vice president. As Harris mentioned in her speech that day, after winning the Revolutionary War and achieving independence, the drafting and signing of the Constitution of the United States took place in nearby Philadelphia.

My deep conviction that the constitutional principles drafted in Pennsylvania, the rule of law and democracy were at stake in this election drove my decision to endorse Harris and Walz.

Reflecting on the election results and Donald Trump’s return to the White House, I still proudly stand by my choice with no regrets. In fact, with the benefit of hindsight, I would support Harris and Walz again.

Harris launched her campaign under unprecedented circumstances. She faced an electorate eager for change and convinced by a wide margin that the country was heading in the wrong direction. She had only 107 days to change the direction of the election.

It was an uphill battle from the start, but Harris and Walz ran through the finish line with unwavering determination, inspiring us all to recommit to building a more perfect union.

It doesn’t take a political rocket scientist to explain Trump’s campaign victory. President Joe Biden’s decision to seek re-election, his disastrous debate performance, and an electorate with substantive economic frustrations combined with Trump-sprinkled fear created an environment impossible for Harris and Walz to succeed.

A 15-week presidential campaign provided ample opportunity for the traditional number of presidential debates. Yet Trump and Harris only debated once on Sept. 10. After Harris’ strong debate performance, Trump refused invitations from media outlets to participate in any additional debates.

It was the fewest number of presidential debates between the Republican and Democratic nominees since 1980 when incumbent President Jimmy Carter faced Ronald Reagan.

During their only debate on Oct. 28, 1980, Reagan asked voters a historic question in his closing remarks: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”

A week later, Americans answered the question by voting Carter out of office.

Now, Harris isn’t Carter, and Trump certainly isn’t Reagan. But the fundamentals of the 1980 race played out similarly 44 years later. On Election Day, more Americans decided for various reasons that they were better off with the country’s direction four years ago.

In defeat, Harris and Walz proved their respect for democracy wasn’t just a campaign gimmick when they accepted the election results without hesitation. They immediately bestowed upon their political rivals the gift of a peaceful transfer of power and no doubt about which campaign won the election.

Democracy was on the ballot, and Harris and Walz should receive bipartisan accolades for reminding voters that character matters in victory and defeat. Winning is not enough; how one wins is just as important. Even more important is how a candidate accepts an electoral defeat. I hold this value dear, and it should be at the heart of our political system.

More than four years later, Trump has yet to admit that he lost the 2020 election, which remains a blemish on our country’s record of candidates accepting defeat in a presidential election.

While Trump’s brand of Republicanism succeeded across the country, Minnesota voters chose a different path. Trump failed to win Minnesota, the 13th straight loss in the state by a Republican presidential candidate since 1972.

Trump received fewer votes across Minnesota’s eight congressional districts than every GOP congressional candidate, except in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. Likewise, Harris received more votes than every DFL congressional candidate, again except in the Second Congressional District where Democrat Rep. Angie Craig beat Republican Joe Teirab.

Meanwhile, Trump received 31,468 fewer votes statewide than all Republican candidates for the U.S. House. And Harris received 77,244 more votes statewide than all DFL candidates for the U.S. House.

Nationally, Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate and retained control of the U.S. House of Representatives. When you add Trump’s victory, Republicans now have a governing trifecta in Washington, D.C. — without electoral assistance from Republicans in Minnesota.

Trump’s success nationally underscores the deep divisions in our country.

Still, Harris and Walz’s principled campaign serves as a powerful counterpoint. Despite not being electorally successful, it provided a safe harbor to a bipartisan coalition that believed in Harris’ words in Pennsylvania that we needed to unite to put country over party.

“There’s too much good to be done, and the challenges that we face as a nation ... requires that we understand we’re all in this together,” she said.

Harris and Walz’s leadership embody a commitment to the ideals that should unite us as Americans: respect for our institutions, steady governance and a belief in the promise of bipartisan solutions.

In the days since Trump won another term as president, Americans have unfortunately seen him follow through on his promises of unilateral power and attacks on democratic institutions. These threats reflect the threats the Constitution’s framers designed it to prevent.

Trump’s victory is a sobering reminder of the challenges ahead and a call to action. Democracy is fragile and its preservation requires the courage for all of us to put country over party.

Michael Brodkorb is the former deputy chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota. He is an author, communications strategist and podcaster. He lives in Eagan.