Former Republican governors and political family members are supporting Democratic candidates in competitive races across the country, even in some staunchly Republican states.
Former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley, a Republican, and former Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges appeared in an ad released on Oct. 26 endorsing Democratic Senate nominee Dr. Annie Andrews. Andrews is running her tight race against Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to replace her brother, Sen. Lindsay Graham.
The former rivals − Hodges defeated Beasley in 1998 − called for an end to political division and gridlock out of Washington in the ad titled “Together.”
“One thing we do agree on right now is this country is too divided and the political rhetoric has gotten way, way out of hand,” Beasley said in the Oct. 26 video.
Republicans also defect in Kansas and Texas
The endorsements come as Democrats go after Senate seats in a series of states Trump won by double-digit margins, including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas (all rated “toss ups” by the Cook Political Report). President Donald Trump has faced record low approval ratings in multiple polls ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3, spurring expected Democratic gains in both houses of Congress.
In Kansas, Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor at the nation’s largest Methodist church, has waged a strong campaign against first-term incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall.
Marshall is under scrutiny after a New York Times report Sept. 8 revealed that he sued 700 patients for medical debt as an obstetrician-gynecologist. Later, a viral October social media post exposed his 2020 campaign for skipping out on a nearly $700 bill for cookies from a locally owned bakery.
The state’s former Republican Gov. Bill Graves has endorsed Hamilton in the race. He previously endorsed Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, in 2018 and again during her reelection campaign in 2022.
Former Gov. Mike Hayden, a Republican, also endorsed Hamilton in the race. “I supported Roger Marshall before. But he has spent his time in the Senate putting party and politics over the people of Kansas,” Hayden wrote in an October op-ed.
In the Lone Star State, Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico has courted independents and Republicans in his tense battle against Ken Paxton, the state’s scandal-ridden attorney general.
Paxton is estranged from his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, amid adultery claims. The state senator backed the Republican ticket in an ad of her own but did not endorse her husband by name. Paxton was also impeached by the Texas House of Representatives on bribery charges in 2023, but the state Senate acquitted him.
Talarico first launched “Republicans for Talarico,” a group of more than 20 Republican officials, including former mayors and state representatives, in September.
‘Republicans for Talarico’ launches as Texas Senate race tightens
Wayne Thorburn, the former Texas Republican Party executive director, as well as ex-Paxton megadonor Thomas J. Henry, have declared their support for Talarico in the waning weeks of the matchup, as did Neil Bush, the son of former Republican President George H.W. Bush and brother of former GOP President George W. Bush. The latter’s daughter, Barbara Bush, also donated to Talarico.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GOP ex-governors of South Carolina, Kansas back Democrats for Senate
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