(Source: MIRS.news, Published 10/24/2024) Two former Republican members of Congress held a press conference Thursday ahead of a visit by U.S. Sen. JD Vance to throw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Former U.S. Reps. David Trott and Fred Upton both said they were voting for Harris because both said they refuse to support former President Donald Trump. Trott said he voted for Trump in 2016, but Joe Biden in 2020.  

“I’m proud to say that I’ve already cast my ballot for Kamala Harris. I’ve never before voted for a Democrat for president, and I honestly never thought I would, but she’s a strong, committed public servant,” Upton said. 

Upton and Trott are part of 30 Republican former members of Congress that have endorsed Harris.  Upton said Joe Schwarz was a third U.S. Representative from Michigan that was backing Harris. 

“All of us, in every general election, ran way ahead of the Republican nominee for president, and it’s because people respected the work that we did working across the aisle," Upton said. “In 2020, I won my vote by some 60,000 votes, over a Democrat in a district and state that went for Joe Biden.” 

He said he was proud of his bipartisan work in Congress and was a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus before his retirement. He didn’t run in 2022 after serving 18 terms in southwest Michigan. 

Upton was also one of the 10 Congressional Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021. 

“This new era for our politics became violently clear on Jan. 6," Upton said. “I was there in the Capitol with rioters encouraged by former President Trump storming the building and tried to overturn the results of a free and fair election.” 

He said he believes if Trump loses again he would spur more political violence and foment more “election lies.” 

“True leaders take responsibility. They tell the truth. They put their duty before personal greed and ambition. True leaders treat people with respect, even when those folks disagree with them,” Upton said. 

Harris will be in Kalamazoo on Saturday, but Upton said he wouldn’t be able to attend because of a prior speaking engagement and a promise made to his grandkids. 

Trott said he was voting for Harris “for the good of our democracy,” and that Trump was “wholly unfit to be president.”  

He also brought up the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 riot. 

“He has shown he will put his own power and ambition above this country every single time,” Trott said. 

Trott also talked about Project 2025.  

“I have plenty of policy disagreements with Democrats, but this goes beyond policy. This is about integrity. It’s about leadership. It’s about the future of our country. That’s why I’m here today, doing everything I can to support Kamala Harris,” he said.