A new anti- Trump group of Republicans has endorsed a slate of moderate Democrats and Republicans in the 2022 congressional midterm elections, including three from Michigan, to chip away at former President Donald Trump’s hold on the GOP.
The Michigan lawmakers who earned endorsements were: Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids; Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph; and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly.
The Renew America Movement (RAM) announced its first endorsements on Thursday after the organization was founded by moderates within the GOP after the Jan. 6 insurrection, which was fueled by Trump’s Big Lie about the election being stolen in November.
Meijer, a freshman lawmaker, and Upton, one of the longest-serving House members, have faced a steady barrage of criticism within the Michigan GOP from pro-Trump ultraconservatives who have targeted elected officials they label RINOs – Republicans In Name Only.
Slotkin, who likely faces a tough re-election in 2022, most likely from a pro-Trump Republican candidate, is a centrist considered one of the bright lights of the national Democratic Party.
“There is an urgent effort by Republicans and former Republicans to stem the tide of anti-democratic and lie-based Republican leaders in Congress before it’s too late,” RAM said in an announcement.
Among RAM’s leaders are Republicans who served in the Trump administration and have since become critics.
“With the mounting threats to our democracy and Constitution, we need people who work proactively to lead their party and the country away from the political extremes,” Joel Searby, RAM’s national political director, told Reuters in an interview.
Among the 10 GOP endorsees are Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who became the former president’s fiercest Republican critic after the Capitol insurrection, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who has played a similar anti-Trump role, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted to convict Trump in his impeachment hearing earlier this year.
The 11 Democrats receiving RAM’s backing –known as “the Renewers” – consist of moderate Democrats facing stiff campaign opposition from Trump loyalists, such as Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia.