2026-10-16T10:00:45.645Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/16/politics/republicans-endorsing-democrats
2010年，肯·巴克借助茶党浪潮赢得科罗拉多州共和党参议员提名，但最终因过于保守，未能获得该州大选选民的支持。
2022年，唐·博尔杜克在新罕布什尔州联邦参议员竞选中走出了类似轨迹：他否认选举结果，还散布有关比尔·盖茨与疫苗的阴谋论。
本周，巴克和博尔杜克双双为各自州内的主要全州公职候选人背书民主党人。巴克支持民主党籍州总检察长菲尔·韦瑟勒竞选科罗拉多州州长，博尔杜克则支持众议员克里斯·帕帕斯竞选新罕布什尔州联邦参议员。
而他们只是越来越多做出类似跨党派背书的共和党人中的一员。
这类背书有时是为了反对共和党特朗普时代的种种行径，但有时也带有一定个人色彩。
这类背书的影响力可能有限。2024年民主党总统候选人卡玛拉·哈里斯就曾获得包括前副总统迪克·切尼、前众议员利兹·切尼和前参议员杰夫·弗莱克在内的共和党人支持，但最终仍以失败告终。但即便如此，这些背书依然值得关注。
巴克背书韦瑟勒并不算太出人意料：这位前国会议员在2023年至2024年的众议院任期末期，就已经逐渐脱离了共和党。韦瑟勒的共和党对手维克托·马克思也是一名极不寻常的候选人，他近日公开承认曾将妻子推搡到门上。（他的妻子称这并非家庭暴力，而是自卫练习。）
博尔杜克的举动则更令人侧目。这位退役陆军准将背书反对标准建制派共和党候选人、前参议员约翰·E·苏努努。而苏努努的兄弟、时任新罕布什尔州州长克里斯·苏努努曾在2022年共和党初选中支持博尔杜克的对手，并称博尔杜克“不是一名严肃的候选人”。
其他知名共和党人也在2026年为关键民主党候选人背书。
在堪萨斯州，前州长迈克·海登和比尔·格雷夫斯将支持民主党牧师亚当·汉密尔顿，挑战共和党现任参议员罗杰·马歇尔。二人都批评马歇尔支持特朗普的政策，称这些政策对堪萨斯州和美国不利。
前亚利桑那州参议员弗莱克将支持民主党参议员乔恩·奥索夫连任佐治亚州联邦参议员，挑战MAGA阵营共和党众议员迈克·柯林斯。
两位前共和党全国委员会主席也在各自州内为民主党国会候选人背书。前蒙大拿州州长马克·拉西科特将支持工会领袖、前空降森林消防员萨姆·福斯塔格竞选第1选区议员。在佛罗里达州，前参议员梅尔·马丁内斯于周四宣布，将支持前NASA办公厅主任贝尔·道尔顿竞选该州第7选区议员。
（和弗莱克一样，拉西科特此前也曾为知名民主党人背书。）
在伊利诺伊州，前共和党州众议院领袖吉姆·德金将支持民主党籍州长J·B·普里茨克连任，对抗共和党候选人达伦·贝利——德金此前曾与贝利发生过争执。
南达科他州共和党籍州务卿莫娜·约翰逊在本党代表大会上失利后，将支持民主党候选人竞选她的现任职位。约翰逊的立场转变也耐人寻味：她在2022年竞选期间拒绝表态时任总统乔·拜登是否合法击败了特朗普，并和当时许多否认选举结果的人一样，打着“选举诚信”的旗号参选。
在备受关注的得克萨斯州联邦参议员竞选中，多名知名共和党人将支持民主党州众议员詹姆斯·塔莱里科，挑战州总检察长肯·帕克斯顿。帕克斯顿的个人丑闻已令该州众多保守派人士疏远。
而最令人震惊的跨党派背书或许来自前乔治·W·布什战略家卡尔·罗夫：他将支持民主党人乔恩·罗森塔尔竞选得克萨斯州铁路委员会委员，对抗共和党候选人博·弗伦奇。此前，弗伦奇曾在社交媒体上发布得克萨斯大学橄榄球比赛中棕肤色学生的照片，并抱怨美国人被外国人取代。
罗夫表示，他此前只在1994年投过一次民主党人的票。
跨党派背书也有反向案例：一些知名温和派民主党人或前民主党人正在关键选举中支持共和党候选人。
即将退休的缅因州众议员贾里德·戈尔登近日宣布，将支持纽约州共和党众议员迈克·劳勒连任。前西弗吉尼亚州参议员乔·曼钦在退休前已转为无党派人士，他将支持缅因州共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯和宾夕法尼亚州众议员布莱恩·菲茨帕特里克。据Axios报道，同样转为无党派人士的前亚利桑那州参议员克里斯滕·西内马将支持该州共和党国会候选人杰伊·菲利。
但总体而言，共和党人跨党派支持民主党人的案例更多，且背书者的身份也更受关注。
A growing number of prominent Republicans are endorsing Democrats in 2026
2026-10-16T10:00:45.645Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/16/politics/republicans-endorsing-democrats
In 2010, Ken Buck rode the tea party wave to win Colorado’s Republican Senate nomination but proved too conservative for the state’s general-election voters.
In 2022, Don Bolduc rode a similar arc in the New Hampshire Senate race as an election-denier who spouted a conspiracy theory about Bill Gates and vaccines.
This week, both Buck and Bolduc endorsed Democrats for major statewide offices in their respective states. Buck backed Democratic state Attorney General Phil Weiser for Colorado governor, while Bolduc backed Rep. Chris Pappas for Senate in New Hampshire.
And they’re part of a growing list of Republicans making similar crossover endorsements.
Sometimes the endorsements are about opposing the GOP’s Trump-era exploits. But other times, they appear somewhat personal.
The impact of any of these endorsements could be limited. As the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris touted the support of Republicans including former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Rep. Liz Cheney and former Sen. Jeff Flake, among other Republicans, and she still lost. But they’re notable all the same.
Buck’s endorsement of Weiser is a little less surprising, given the former congressman drifted away from his party late in his House tenure in 2023 and 2024. Weiser’s GOP opponent, Victor Marx, is also a highly unorthodox candidate who recently spoke openly about slamming his wife against a door. (His wife says it was not domestic abuse and that it was self-defense practice.)
Bolduc’s move will raise more eyebrows. The retired Army brigadier general is endorsing against a standard-issue Republican nominee in former Sen. John E. Sununu. But Sununu’s brother, then-Gov. Chris Sununu, endorsed Bolduc’s opponent in the 2022 primary and called Bolduc “not a serious candidate.”
Other prominent Republicans have also endorsed key Democratic candidates in 2026.
In Kansas, two former governors — Mike Hayden and Bill Graves — are backing Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton over GOP Sen. Roger Marshall. Both criticized Marshall’s decision to go along with Trump policies that they argue are bad for Kansas and the country.
Flake, the former Arizona senator, has backed Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff for reelection in Georgia over MAGA GOP Rep. Mike Collins.
Two former chairmen of the Republican National Committee have also endorsed Democratic congressional candidates in their states. Former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot is backing union leader and former smokejumper Sam Forstag in the 1st District. And in Florida, former Sen. Mel Martinez announced Thursday that he’s backing former NASA chief of staff Bale Dalton in that state’s 7th District.
(Racicot, like Flake, has backed prominent Democrats before.)
In Illinois, former GOP state House leader Jim Durkin is backing Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker for reelection over Republican nominee Darren Bailey, with whom Durkin has clashed before.
Republican South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson is endorsing the Democrat running for her job after losing at her party’s convention. Johnson’s evolution is also interesting; she had in her 2022 campaign declined to say whether then-President Joe Biden had legitimately defeated Trump in 2020 and ran on “election integrity” like many election-deniers were at the time.
In the high-profile Texas Senate race, a number of well-known Republicans are backing Democratic state Rep. James Talarico against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose personal baggage has alienated many conservatives in the state.
And in perhaps the most shocking crossover endorsement, former George W. Bush strategist Karl Rove said he would back Democrat Jon Rosenthal for Texas railroad commissioner over Republican Bo French. That came after French posted an image of brown-skinned students at a University of Texas football game and complained about the replacement of Americans by foreigners.
Rove said he had only voted for one other Democrat — all the way back in 1994.
Crossover endorsements have gone the other way, too, with some well-known moderate Democrats, or former Democrats, backing Republicans in key races.
Retiring Maine Rep. Jared Golden recently announced he would back New York GOP Rep. Mike Lawler for reelection. Former Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who became an independent before retiring from the Senate, backed GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. And former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who also became an independent, is supporting GOP congressional candidate Jay Feely in her state, Axios reported.
But the GOP crossovers for Democrats are more numerous — and come from more interesting places.
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