Republicans can save our country — and the party — by voting for Harris

To save both the country and the Republican Party, Republicans must vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s true: To reclaim the party, former President Donald Trump must lose.

The GOP has faced an identity crisis and undergone a dark transformation ever since Trump descended that escalator in 2015. I witnessed it firsthand. I spent nearly a decade at the Republican National Committee, where I ultimately served as communications director and senior advisor during Trump’s first three years in office. By the time I left the RNC, few people had served longer.

When I left, Trump had already torn down the party and rebuilt it in his own deeply flawed image. It has only gotten worse since then. Trump has reshaped the GOP around his erratic contradictions and inconsistencies — privately unsettling many Republicans, even as he remains the party’s standard-bearer.

This new GOP is held hostage by a man whose actions — like repeatedly calling to prosecute or use the military against his political opponents — are the antithesis of traditional Republican or American values. Loyalty to Trump has become the party’s highest priority, even at the expense of democracy.

Each day brings new examples of dangerous rhetoric and bizarre behavior. He rails against the “fake news media” while blatantly disregarding facts to push whatever narrative serves his ambitions — such as his xenophobic lies about immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

He wraps himself in the flag, yet he celebrates the Jan. 6 insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol, injured more than 100 police officers and halted the peaceful transfer of power — all because he couldn’t accept that he lost to Joe Biden.

He calls America the world’s “garbage can,” abandoning the belief in American exceptionalism that once defined the GOP and undermining the greatest country in the world — for what? Such unpatriotic insults would disqualify any past Republican candidate, but are par for the course at Trump rallies.

These instances aren’t isolated. They’re symptoms of a much deeper issue plaguing the party.

When politicians abroad behave like this and undermine democratic institutions, we call them tyrants, dictators, or worse. But at home, Republicans parrot talking points and perform strategic pivots to make it seem like they’re fine with this. I can tell you, many are not.

So, why the act? In Trump’s GOP, every Republican — from voters to staffers to elected officials — must bow to his whims or risk being ostracized. Dissent is not tolerated, and shaming those who disagree is the norm.

I know this all too well. Like many Republicans, I watched in dismay as Trump dismantled long-standing political and societal norms and forced the party to go along with him. I saw colleagues contort themselves to defend actions they knew were wrong, fearing retribution or exile from the party. I too stayed silent for those same reasons — and because I believed I could bring change from within. I was wrong.

If Trump wins this election, he will no longer be breaking norms — fear, xenophobia and the erosion of our democratic institutions will be the new norm. This is not only undemocratic, it’s un-American.

The only way to stop this dangerous slide is for patriotic Republicans to choose country over party. I know many in the Republican Party still believe in America’s greatness and wish there were another way.

There is: through Vice President Kamala Harris.

You may feel conflicted, and that’s understandable. But sometimes doing the right thing requires discomfort. This is not about abandoning conservatism — it’s about embracing patriotism and protecting our democracy.

Practically speaking, voting for Harris is the only way to guard the GOP from further damage, restore its integrity and preserve its ability to operate as a legitimate political party in the future. Writing in the name of a more palatable Republican won’t be enough in a close race. To break free from Trump’s toxic grip and allow the party to move on from the disease of his influence, you must vote for the Democratic ticket.

When you’re alone in the voting booth, there are no loyalty tests to Trump .But there is a critical question facing you: What do you want the GOP to stand for in the future?

If the answer is respect for the Constitution and principled service to the American people, the choice is clear. You are not only free to vote your conscience, you are in fact obligated to exercise your sacred duty as an American to choose leaders who will preserve our country’s greatness.

Voting for Harris isn’t a betrayal of conservatism. It’s an act of courage — and the only way to save both the GOP and the country.

Ryan C. Mahoney served as communications director for the Republican National Committee from 2016 to 2018 and as senior advisor to the chairman in 2019. He spent nearly a decade at the RNC and has 20 years of experience in GOP party politics.