Former Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich) endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Thursday.
In a statement released by the Harris campaign Upton, who served in Congress for 35 years before retiring last year, said he never voted to elect a Democrat president before, but is proud to do so this cycle.
“I don’t believe I’ve missed a vote in Michigan in the 52 years I’ve been eligible to vote. And I’ve not been afraid to split my ballot from time to time but have never voted for a Democrat for president, until now,” Upton wrote.
“I have already cast my ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris to be our next president of the United States,” he said adding, “the American public wants their elected officials to solve problems—not spin in circles in stalemates.”
“I am confident Vice President Harris will work to bring people together, strengthen our economy, and get things done for all Americans,” Upton said.
The former Michigan lawmaker was one of ten House Republicans who voted with democrats to impeach Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection after the Jan. 6 2021 attack on the Capitol.
“That day was a tragedy for our democracy and Donald Trump is wrong to claim that everything he did was ‘totally appropriate’ when he directly jeopardized the peaceful transition from one administration to the next,” Upton wrote. “He is unfit to serve as commander in chief again.”
The former congressman told The Detroit News that Trump had “not changed his colors” and is continuing to spread debunked claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
“He’s still talking about the election being stolen, trashing women left and right. He’s just totally unhinged,” Upton said. “We don’t need this chaos. We need to move forward, and that’s why I’m where I am.”
