NeverTrump former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a frequent critic of President Donald Trump’s, formally endorsed Democratic candidate Joe Biden this week along with several other former Republican lawmakers.
The Biden campaign announced the endorsement on Monday as part of its effort to win over potential GOP supporters this November, holding it up as proof that Biden can bridge the gap of “partisanship.”
“These former members of Congress cited Trump’s corruption, destruction of democracy, blatant disregard for moral decency, and urgent need to get the country back on course as a reason why they support Biden,” a Biden campaign official told Fox News in a statement. “These former Members of Congress are supporting Joe Biden because they know what’s at stake in this election and that Trump’s failures as President have superseded partisanship.”
Flake said in a statement that because Trump’s “behavior” has not changed, Republicans must choose someone who will do better.
“Some of my conservative friends will say, ‘Yes, we don’t like his behavior but he governs as a conservative.’ Here, today, I will say to my fellow conservatives … indifference to the truth or to the careful stewardship of the institutions of American liberty is not conservative,” Flake said during a live stream on Monday. “Governing by tweet is not conservative, it’s not even governing.”
It was the honor of my life to represent my state, Arizona – in the United States House and Senate for eighteen years as a conservative. I’m here to talk about the future – both of my party, but more importantly, the future of our country: https://t.co/pxBUFqj9jA
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) August 24, 2020
Other former GOP lawmakers on the “Republicans for Biden” endorsement list include former Sens. John Warner, R-Va. and Gordon Humphrey, R-N.H., and Reps. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., Steve Bartlett, R-Texas, Tom Coleman, R-Mo., Bob Inglis, R-S.C., Chris Shays, R-Conn., Alan Steelman, R-Texas, and Jim Walsh, R-N.Y.
Flake said last year that he would not support Trump, but suggested that he wouldn’t support Biden either.
Now, however, he argued voting third party is not enough.
“Given what we have experienced over the past four years, it’s not enough just to register our disapproval of the president. We need to elect someone else in his place,” Flake said on Monday.
