RIPON, Wis. (AP) 鈥� Vice President Kamala Harris rallied side-by-side with Republican Liz Cheney in the birthplace of the modern Republican Party on Thursday as the two women delivered a double-barreled denunciation of GOP nominee Donald Trump as a threat to democracy.
As people raised signs declaring, 鈥淐ountry over Party,鈥� Harris told the crowd that 鈥減eople of every party must stand together鈥� to reject Trump, citing his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his failure to quell the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.
It was an improbable moment 鈥� a Democratic nominee giving a nod to a rival party member and to the origins of the opposing party in the closing weeks of a presidential campaign 鈥� and it demonstrated how Harris is working to win over moderate voters.
Harris said of Trump, 鈥淎s you have heard and know, he refused to accept the will of the people and to accept the results of an election that was free and fair."
鈥漈he president of the United States must not look at our country through the narrow lens of ideology or party partisanship or self interest."
Cheney is one of Trump's most ardent antagonists. She is the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and was on the House committee that investigated the , earning Trump鈥檚 disdain and effectively exiling herself from her own party.
鈥淰iolence does not and must never determine who rules us. Voters do," Cheney told the crowd as she recounted Trump refusing to act as he watched the violent attack on television. Someone in the crowd yelled 鈥渃oward!鈥� Others booed.
鈥淗e praised the rioters. He did not condemn them. That鈥檚 who Donald Trump is,鈥� Cheney said.
to a Trump-endorsed candidate two years ago and , the Democratic nominee, last month. The two women appeared together in Ripon, home to a white schoolhouse where a series of meetings held in 1854 to oppose slavery鈥檚 expansion led to the start of the Republican Party.
鈥淚 know that she loves our country, and I know she will be a president for all Americans鈥� Cheney said of Harris. Noting that she herself remains conservative, Cheney said she was 鈥渉onored to join her in this urgent cause.鈥�
Instead of her usual 鈥淗arris-Walz鈥� campaign signs, the stage was decorated with large signs that said 鈥淐ountry Over Party,鈥� along with plenty of red, white and blue bunting.
Harris was opening a two-day trip to Wisconsin and Michigan, and Trump was in Michigan on Thursday as the two candidates grapple for wins in the 鈥渂lue wall鈥� battleground states, which also include Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said Thursday that he wasn鈥檛 concerned about a Trump-Harris race coming down to the wire because "it always gets this close.鈥�
鈥淪he鈥檚 gonna do fine,鈥� Biden said of Harris to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on his way to visit storm-ravaged Georgia and Florida. He added that Harris鈥� running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, did well in his debate with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance during in New York.
鈥淭he other guy lost the debate,鈥� Biden said. 鈥淗e misrepresented everything.鈥�
Harris鈥� visit to Wisconsin comes one day after a 165-page court filing outlining prosecutors鈥� case against Trump for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction.
Trump did not mention the document filed by special counsel Jack Smith or Cheney's appearance with Harris during an 82-minute speech at a rally in Saginaw County, Michigan. In 2020, Democrat Biden won the bellwether county by a slim 303 votes, contributing to his victory in the state.
As Trump spoke, his campaign announced he'll appear in Georgia on Friday with Republican Gov. . The two men have after Trump in August unleashed a on Kemp, whom he has for not giving in to his efforts to overturn his loss in 2020.
During the 2020 campaign, Liz Cheney criticized Harris as 鈥渁 radical liberal" who 鈥渨ants to recreate America in the image of what鈥檚 happening on the streets of Portland & Seattle,鈥� a reference to unrest that took place in those cities after the murder of George Floyd.
But Jan. 6 was a turning point for Liz Cheney and her family. Both Cheneys are backing Harris, part of a cadre of current and former Republican officials who have broken with the vast majority of their party, which remains in Trump鈥檚 corner. Harris wants to portray her candidacy as a patriotic choice for independent and conservative voters who were disturbed by Trump鈥檚 unwillingness to cede power. Trump continues to deny his defeat with false claims of voter fraud.
Harris on Thursday also was endorsed by , who was a young White House aide during Trump's presidency and described during a hearing of Cheney's Jan. 6 congressional committee how she grew disgusted by Trump鈥檚 refusal to stop the rioters that day. Harris' campaign also began airing ads targeting Republicans, independents and former Trump voters in battleground states.
Cheney鈥檚 presence prompted some dissonance for Harris supporters in the audience, especially those that remember her father鈥檚 role as a Republican headliner.
Victor Romero, 46, said it was 鈥渁 little weird鈥� to be at an event with her.
鈥淚 still don鈥檛 like Liz Cheney鈥檚 politics. But I鈥檓 glad that she understands the Republican Party that currently exists is just for Trump.鈥�
But for younger voters, they know Cheney primarily for standing up to Trump.
鈥淪he stuck to her morals," said Kynaeda Gray, 22.
Harris on Friday will hold a campaign rally in Flint, Michigan, continuing her tour of states that have been critical to Democratic victories. Trump won Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan in 2016, and Biden won them in 2020.
Trump has ramped up his focus on Michigan, holding two rallies there less than a week ago before Thursday's appearance in Saginaw.
___
Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Saginaw, Michigan and Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Chris Megerian And Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press
