Hi John, my name is Adam Kinzinger. I'm a former congressman from Illinois. And I'm a proud conservative.

Seven years ago, the GOP swore total allegiance to Donald Trump's cult of personality. I refused to play along then, and I refuse to play along now.

Today, I will tell the Democratic National Convention that I'm a Republican for Kamala Harris.

Look, I took an oath to uphold our Constitution. I promised my constituents I would defend our democracy. I don't pledge my allegiance to Donald Trump, and I never will.

Now, John, I never expected to be in this position. But as a proud conservative, I am humbly asking you to pitch in $25 or more to support the Harris-Walz campaign. We can't retreat into our partisan corners, and we can't place blind faith in anybody else to pick up the slack.

I remember what drew me to the Republican Party. It wasn't spinelessness. It wasn't cowardice.

The Republican Party that I grew up in projected a strong vision for America. But today, my former colleagues deny the brutal truth about January 6. They parrot the lies of a mob leader who called for "termination" of the Constitution. They are actively supporting someone who admits he'll be a dictator on "day one" back in office.

Seriously, we as Republicans have to stop deluding ourselves. Trump doesn't care about us. He doesn't care about our country. He only cares about himself, and he will do or say anything to retake power.

And I for one don't trust him to ever give it up if he gets the chance.

I'll tell you what, if you want a leader with a strong vision for moving America forward, that leader is Vice President Harris.

I certainly don't agree with the Vice President about everything, but I fully trust her to tell the truth, to protect our freedoms, and to strengthen our alliances. There's absolutely nothing more important than our democracy, which is why I have to ask:

For the sake of our democracy, will you claim a stake in this fight and donate $25 to elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz? Every dollar makes a difference with so much hanging in the balance.

I'll close with this: When I look into my son Christian's eyes, I don't want to feel shame. I don't want to feel regret. I want to feel hope. I want to tell him I played a part in making history in 2024, helping to elect Kamala Harris as our President and defeat Donald Trump.

Thank you for taking a stand in this election,

Adam

Adam Kinzinger
Fmr. U.S. Congressman, IL-16