US election campaign: “Trump is unacceptable” – Republicans are campaigning for Harris

Standing in line in the blazing sun at 37 degrees means sweating. Helpers distribute water and umbrellas to provide shade. Luckily, it doesn’t take too long until the approximately 150 supporters of Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris find space in the event room of a chic golf club in Scottsdale. The exclusive event in the state of Arizona is not a standard event for Harris in the election campaign. Here the Democrat meets conservatives, many of them Republicans, who support her. The reason: Republican Donald Trump is too extreme for them.

Support for Harris from the conservative camp

Arizona in the southwest of the USA is particularly competitive in the election – in the swing state every vote counts. Trump won here in 2016, and today’s US President Joe Biden narrowly won the state in 2020. Harris and her Republican rival Trump are roughly tied in polls for the November 5 election in Arizona, with Trump on average having a slight margin of error.

According to a current national survey, the 59-year-old Democrat has recently gained support among Republicans. While three percent of Democratic supporters surveyed would vote for Trump, nine percent of Republicans surveyed said they would vote for Harris. A month earlier it was only five percent.

Trump is scaring off some supporters in his own party with his harsh rhetoric and radical positions – a prominent example is Liz Cheney, who was kicked out of the party leadership. But whether the conservative Trump opponents can tip the scales in favor of Harris remains an open question. In any case, Harris is fighting for every vote – because the race couldn’t be closer.

“Country over party”

The US vice president receives a euphoric reception at the golf club in Scottsdale near Phoenix. “Kamala, Kamala, Kamala,” shouts the audience. The motto is “Country over Party”. Harris woos conservatives: “Each of you had the courage to say: Hey, we might not agree on everything.” But certain principles should not be questioned. Harris speaks with admiration of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who died in 2018. In his last years he had become something of an intimate enemy of Trump. Harris warns that the United States will no longer be taken seriously in the world under Trump. A strong America is needed. Applause.

At the end of her short speech, the Democrat took a lot of time to take photos. The audience is white and seems rather wealthy. An older woman says she doesn’t make her support for Harris public among her friends. The atmosphere is simply too charged. What drives Republicans to Harris? Three apostates from Arizona report – they know each other from the church and about their commitment against Trump:

Amy Wudel:

“I’ve been a conservative Republican my whole voting life. I never thought I wouldn’t vote Republican,” says the Mormon woman. That changed in 2016, when Trump ran for the Republicans for the first time – and won the presidential election. “He was completely unsuitable and unacceptable.” During the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, “the worst nightmares” came true, says Wudel. Trump is not only a danger to democracy, but to the entire world because he allows himself to be led by dictators.

Jane Andersen:

“I will vote for Harris, and I am still a registered Republican,” says the late 40-year-old, who is involved in various conservative initiatives. Ultimately, she also listens carefully to religious leaders when making decisions. These would tell her that important criteria for a president are integrity, compassion and service to others – a leader must unite. “I don’t see that with Trump, and that’s why I definitely won’t vote for him.” The Republicans have distanced themselves from her. But she won’t let herself be driven out of the party, even if she sometimes feels angry.

Clint Smith:

The turning point for Smith was the storming of the Capitol. “I’m a conservative at heart,” says the lawyer, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the US House of Representatives as an independent in 2022. “The entire Republican leadership just jumped on the bandwagon, even though they knew better,” he says of the period after January 6th. The leadership has thus let the party down. Smith fears that Trump would not leave his post after a second term. “And if you think about it, what else is important?” You can argue about anything – abortion or migration. “But for me it’s a no-go if you can’t respect the rule of law.”

Trump loyalist Lake wants to be in the Senate

Smith also thinks that in their adoration of Trump, Republicans have lost sight of how to win elections. A prominent example is the party’s candidate in Arizona for the US Senate, Kari Lake. The former TV presenter is one of Trump’s most ardent supporters; she already wanted to become governor of Arizona – and lost. She doesn’t acknowledge the defeat and spreads conspiracy theories. Lake is emblematic of the party’s radical orientation.

The fact that Lake is even entering the race for the important Senate seat, which will also be voted on November 5th, shows how firmly Trump has the party. In polls, Lake is clearly behind Democrat Ruben Gallego – a remarkably liberal candidate for moderate Arizona. Nevertheless, Lake can’t really score points. Similar to Trump, the 55-year-old is too extreme for some.

But not all of them: on a weekend you can meet them in a sports hall in the city of Tempe, east of Phoenix. Lake is 45 minutes late. She appears approachable and watches children’s gymnastics exercises, shakes hands and poses for photos. She appears different than in her speeches on large stages, in which she lashes out at everything and everyone. Many parents came whose children train in the sports hall.

“It’s better to be honest and mean than nice and lying”

But that’s not all: 20-year-old Austin Andrews is a Lake supporter. The issues that concern him most are abortion and migration. Arizona borders Mexico – the situation at the border is tense. He accuses Harris of wanting to cheat in the election – repeating Trump’s baseless claims. Lake is a “good fighter,” he says. Andrews isn’t put off by Lakes or Trump’s harsh rhetoric: “I’d rather have honest people who are mean than nice people who lie.”