Topline

Former Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday he will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in November, joining a growing list of Republican lawmakers and big names who have said they will cross party lines in the upcoming election.

Key Facts

Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.

Which Former Trump Officials Won't Endorse Him For President?

Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff and former homeland security secretary John Kelly spoke to The New York Times in late October and expressed his concerns about a second Trump presidency. Kelly said Trump is a fascist, “prefers the dictator approach to government,” and that Trump has a fundamental misunderstanding of history and the Constitution. Despite his anti-Trump comments, Kelly did not outright endorse Harris—though she has clung on to his comments in recent events. Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence also has not and will not endorse Trump, saying, “I believe anyone that puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.” More former Trump officials have also weighed in and advised against electing the former president again, with former Defense Secretary Mark Esper saying Trump was “a threat to democracy,” and “former national security adviser John Bolton saying he is “unfit to be president.”

Which Republicans Will Not Endorse A Candidate?

A spokesperson for former President George W. Bush said in September he will not endorse a candidate for president as he “retired from presidential politics years ago.” Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah also said he will not endorse a candidate. He said earlier this month he has made it clear he doesn’t want Trump to be elected, but said he wants “to continue to have a voice in the Republican Party following this election,” so he will not endorse Harris.

Key Background

November’s race between Harris and Trump is expected to be highly contested. Following Biden leaving the presidential race in late July and handing the top of the ticket to Harris, she nearly erased the lead Trump had grown after Biden’s poor first debate performance. The vice president has been narrowly leading Trump in recent polls, but the two are going back and forth in razor-thin races in most swing states.

Big Number

1.7. That’s by how many points Harris leads Trump, according to FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average on Thursday. RealClearPolitics’ national average shows Harris with a 0.2-point lead.

Chief Critics

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, told the Washington Post that “nobody cares what these disgruntled and deranged people have to say,” referring to Republicans supporting Harris. “President Trump is overwhelmingly supported by the majority of Republicans and polling better than he ever did in 2016 and 2020,” she added. Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham also criticized Republicans backing Harris on Sunday, speaking to them directly on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and saying: “What the hell are you doing? ... You’re supporting the most radical nominee in the history of American politics.” He went on to say while some people say Trump’s rhetoric is a danger to the country, the real “danger to this country is the policies of Biden and Harris.”

Contra

At least two former Democrats have endorsed Trump. Former Democrat-turned-independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed Trump in August after ending his presidential campaign, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, endorsed Trump shortly after. The former president placed both Kennedy and Gabbard on his transition team after their endorsements.

Tangent

In a late-August interview on CNN, Harris said she would put a Republican in her cabinet if elected as part of her effort to represent “all Americans.” She did not indicate who she had in mind or for what role. Presidents Biden and Trump did not appoint cabinet members from across the aisle, but it’s not uncommon: George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama all did.

Further Reading

ForbesLiz Cheney Says She’ll Vote For Kamala Harris—Citing ‘Danger’ Posed By TrumpForbesDick Cheney Says He’s Voting For Kamala Harris: ‘Country Above Partisanship’ForbesKamala Harris Says She’d Put A Republican In Her Cabinet If ElectedWashington PostHarris team quietly courts big-name GOP endorsements