GOP’s Kinzinger explains his appearance at Democratic National Convention
CHICAGO — Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who spent 12 years representing Illinois in the House of Representatives, said ahead of his address to the Democratic National Convention on Thursday that it “feels kind of right.”
The conservative, outspoken critic of his party’s nominee, Donald Trump, and his decision to serve on the House Select Committee on the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol kneecapped Kinzinger’s future in the party. Trump supporters have branded him a RINO – ‘Republican in Name Only.’
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“When they call me a RINO, there’s not much about me that’s changed from what I used to be,” he told WGN. “The whole Republican party has changed.”
So how does a gun-loving guy whose votes on issues aligned with Trump more than 90 percent of the time end up endorsing Kamala Harris?
“I look at the Democrats and say, sure there’s a lot I disagree with, but there’s actually a lot I agree with that my party has abandoned, like foreign policy. I mean, standing with Ukraine in a fight against Russia, if you had told me 10 years ago that my party would’ve abandoned that fight I wouldn’t have believed you.”
His address to the DNC will be his largest-ever audience, and he has a message he hopes will resonate.
“Actually, the Republican party is no longer the conservative party. There’s nothing conservative about it. The conservative choice is to actually vote for Kamala Harris because of things like Ukraine and in defense of our democracy in our country,” he said.
Kinzinger and his family have paid a hefty price for going rogue. There are death threats. And despite praise from Democrats, they’re the ones who actually re-districted him out of his seat in Congress.
Stepping into the Democratic convention arena, he’ll carry hope that there is still a place left for him in his old party.
“The reality is, after Trump loses, I’d love to see the GOP wake up and come back to its roots and there would be a home for me. If not, I’m going to continue saying what I’m saying,” he said.
The political calculus is that Nikki Haley’s strength in the Republican party showed there are 10 to 20 percent of GOP voters who don’t want Trump. Those voters are even more meaningful in swing states.
Democrats think many may be like Kinzinger, willing to be persuaded even if they don’t agree on some issues.
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago concluded Thursday night with Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the party’s nomination to the land’s highest office.
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Chicago has hosted Democrats 12 times, the last being nearly 30 years ago when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term.
WGN Cover Story: Why Chicago has hosted more presidential conventions than any other city.
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