Former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris because of his conservative values — not in spite of them — he said Saturday in an interview announcing his support for the Democratic presidential nominee.
Flake, R-Ariz., is crossing party lines to endorse a Democrat for the second presidential election in a row. He backed President Joe Biden over former Republican President Donald Trump in 2020 and voted third-party rather than cast a ballot for Trump in 2016.
“I’m a conservative. I believe in the rule of law,” Flake said during an interview at The Nile Coffee Shop in Mesa on Saturday afternoon. “First and foremost, I want to support a presidential candidate that respects the rule of law, somebody who, if they lose an election, wouldn’t try to use the presidential powers to overturn that election.”
Flake made his endorsement just 37 days before Election Day, and it comes at a time when the vice president could use a boost in Arizona. Polls show Harris and Trump locked in a close battle for the White House, with Trump slightly ahead and leading on the issues that voters say they care about most.