Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger Endorses Biden

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (C), an Illinois Republican, speaks at a news conference with Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn (L), former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (2nd R), and Democrat state Sen. Gloria Butler at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on June 26, 2024. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times)

ATLANTA—Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) crossed party lines on June 26 and said he was proud to endorse President Joe Biden and would “do whatever is necessary” to ensure that the president defeats former President Donald Trump in November.

Mr. Kinzinger announced his decision at the Georgia State Capitol the day before the first of several presidential debates, citing on X, formerly known as Twitter, what he saw as a need to put “country over party” and saying that he was “standing firm in defense of democracy.”

Mr. Kinzinger is the highest-profile Republican official formally backing President Biden, whose campaign earlier in the month tapped Mr. Kinzinger’s former chief of staff, Austin Weatherford, to serve as its national Republican outreach director. Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican, also endorsed President Biden in May.

Mr. Kinzinger was one of two Republicans who served on the House’s committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. He did not seek reelection in 2022 after voting to impeach the former president.

The former representative told the press that if they had told him three years ago that he would be endorsing a Democrat for president, he would not have believed it. But now, he said, the stakes “are way too high.”

Recalling Jan. 6

The former representative focused much of his speech on the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when protesters marched into the U.S. Capitol building in protest of the 2020 presidential election.

He blamed the former Republican president for it, saying that he “convinced a significant amount of the American people that the system was rigged,” and he argued that “if you believe that your vote doesn’t count, or your voice hasn’t been heard, democracies fail.”

Mr. Kinzinger further emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation and to trade in political identities for simply the identity of Americans who defend democracy.

He also praised the Biden–Harris campaign’s work to win over who he called “gettable Republicans,” such as the approximately 78,000 in Georgia who voted for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley over former President Trump in the state’s primary.

“I want to make sure that Republicans particularly understand you don’t have to agree with everything Joe Biden says,” Mr. Kinzinger said. “You probably don’t agree with everything Donald Trump says, and, by the way, you probably don’t agree with everything your spouse says. But this is about defending the greatest country in the world.”

Shortly after Mr. Kinzinger announced his endorsement, President Biden shared it on social media and said he was grateful for the Republican’s support.

“This is what putting your country before your party looks like,” President Biden wrote on X.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but didn’t receive a reply by press time.

President Biden and former President Trump’s first presidential debate is set for 9 p.m. ET on June 27.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.