Kinzinger endorses Dems in major governor, secretary of state races

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of the most prominent Republican critics of former President Donald Trump in Congress, is rolling out a bipartisan series of midterm endorsements Tuesday, including a handful of Democrats seeking to become their states’ top election officials.

Kinzinger (R-Ill.) endorsed four Democratic secretary of state candidates: incumbents Steve Simon of Minnesota and Jocelyn Benson of Michigan, along with Arizona’s Adrian Fontes and Nevada’s Cisco Aguilar, both of whom are running for open seats. Kinzinger’s endorsements, shared first with POLITICO, also include Democrat Josh Shapiro’s campaign for governor of Pennsylvania, where he would appoint the secretary of state if he wins.

In an interview, Kinzinger said he chose 2022 endorsements partly based on where there are “going to be positions that, frankly, can be bulwarks to defend against a real constitutional crisis in 2024.”

“A badly-placed, bad faith secretary of state can really throw the whole country into chaos,” he added.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/kinzinger-endorses-dems-in-major-governor-secretary-of-state-races-00061128

[efhmc]

1. Interesting. Wonder if it will make an ant's worth of difference.

[PatSeg]

2. I was wondering the same thing

Perhaps it might affect the vote of some moderate republicans who don't buy into all the MAGA craziness. Not all reasonable republicans have left the party yet, though many have probably become Independents.

So if a reasonable, moderate like Kinzinger endorses a Democrat, he is probably saying that they are a safe choice for disillusioned republicans.

[erpowers]

3. Conflicted

While I applaud Adam Kinzinger for standing up for Democracy, I also wish he had stayed out of the election cycle. There is a chance Kinzinger's endorsement of the Democratic candidates could causes some Republicans to vote against the Democratic candidates just because Kinzinger said to vote for them. In these races, I think it is best for people like Kinzinger and Liz Cheney to keep quiet about the races and let them play out on their own.

[onetexan]

4. I don't think it w backfire, rather the opposite. I'm not expecting many to follow their lead but

there most likely will be some sensible conservatives who will follow Liz & Kinzinger's stead and do the right thing for democracy.

[electric_blue68]

5. Definitely agree... those kind of rarer Republicans might be laying reaaaally low...

unless they're living all in the same neighborhood and talking amongst themselves. 👍