Some Republicans in Virginia are crossing party lines to support Vice President Kamala Harris in the election. It's the continuation of a long-standing tradition in Virginia politics.
For many years, the tradition in Virginia politics was for state Democrats to remain quiet about national Democrats they did not like and didn’t want to vote for. During the reign of Senator Harry Byrd, this was known as the golden silence. And John Milliken at George Mason University says it worked.
"He would just not say anything about the presidential race," Milliken explains. "But most of his followers took that as a sign that they could comfortably vote for a Republican at the national level and not suffer any repercussion for doing that."
Now, things are much more explicit. In 2016, former Republican Senator John Warner endorsed Hillary Clinton. And now former Republican Congressman Denver Riggleman is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. Former Republican Delegate David Ramadan now teaches at George Mason's Schar School, and he predicts many more Never Trump Republicans will emerge in Virginia.
"Simply because the other side is egregious, and the election is one of those consequential elections," Ramadan says. "You can't stay silent in those scenarios."
Republicans are hoping they can get some traction this year in Virginia, where the 13 electoral votes have not gone to a Republican since the reelection of George W. Bush 20 years ago.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
