Liz Cheney’s Courage and the Future 'Democracy Republicans' Must Build

Liz Cheney’s endorsement of Kamala Harris is a defining moment in this election. Our way forward must be guided by a similar courage, honesty, and a commitment to the country over party.

Liz Cheney’s Choice

It’s easy to forget that Liz Cheney voted for Donald Trump in 2020.

But Trump’s lies about the election, which culminated in the failed January 6th insurrection, became a turning point for her. We all know what happened next: she was ousted from her party’s leadership, delivered patriotic and impartial service on the January 6th Committee, and lost her seat in Congress, driven out by a state party overtaken by MAGA extremists. She knew the truth was worth defending, no matter the personal cost.

Cheney’s endorsement of Kamala Harris is another testament to her courage. She sees the threat posed by a second Trump term with clarity, and her assessment led her to the only logical conclusion.

“It is crucially important for people to recognize– not only is what I’ve just said about the danger Trump poses something that should prevent people from voting for him, but I don’t believe we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states. 

“As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. And because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris."

A lot can change in four years. Like Cheney, many conservatives of good faith who supported Trump in 2020 have seen his true character. Trump cares only for himself and will do whatever it takes to seize power. Millions of former Trump voters will reject him in 2024. Cheney offers a compelling argument for why they should vote for Vice President Harris instead of leaving the ballot blank.

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Our Choice

Back in May, I wrote an article for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in response to Nikki Haley’s endorsement of Donald Trump. My thoughts were focused on the young Republicans in Georgia and across the South who will play a pivotal role in this election.

“Republicans in their 20s have seen few examples of political courage within our party. A few months ago, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley said Donald Trump is “not qualified” to be president of the United States.

“Yesterday, she endorsed him anyway.”

In that moment, it became clear to me how deeply the lack of courage among our political leaders is affecting the way my generation views public service.

“I hope my generation learns a lesson from this. We have to put our trust in principles, not politicians. We don’t know what motivated Haley’s reversal. But given her warnings about a second Trump term, it’s clear Haley is putting her career and her own interests over the good of the country. There is a generation of Republicans who are growing up with this as a norm.” 

“... C.S. Lewis wrote that ‘Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.’ Our politics won’t get better until we have leaders with the fortitude to stand up for their beliefs, even when it is unpopular with the farthest corners of their base. And, because there are so few national figures speaking out, we need leaders with the courage to stand alone when necessary… young Republicans have an opportunity to be the courageous leaders our party and country so desperately need.”

Young Republicans have the chance to redefine our party. We can be the generation that refuses to sacrifice integrity for political gain, that steps up when others stay silent. The stakes are too high for us to follow the same path of compromise.

Liz Cheney is offering a powerful example for the next generation of Republicans. By standing for the truth, no matter the personal cost, she is showing us what it means to lead with integrity. And that’s what we need—not only for the critical election in November, but for the many consequential decisions we’ll face in the years ahead.

We cannot afford to fall in line with those who put ambition over principle. The future of our country—and our party—depends on our willingness to stand up for what is right, even when it’s hard.

The first step in building what comes next for the Republican Party is defeating Donald Trump in November. In order to do that, we must vote for Kamala Harris.

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Our Future

The 2024 election is not just about choosing a president; it’s about choosing what kind of future we want for our country and our party. 

Courage isn’t just for those in the halls of power. It’s a choice we must all make. Every Republican across the nation has an opportunity to take a stand in this pivotal moment. Will we continue down a path where self-interest and political expediency trump the Constitution, or will we rise to the challenge and rebuild a party that values integrity, truth, and service to the greater good?

For many Republicans, the last decade has been a period of deep disillusionment. The conservative movement, once a beacon of principled governance, has devolved into something unrecognizable—a movement that often seems more focused on preserving power than upholding the values that once defined it. Many of us who were drawn to the Republican Party by its core principles—limited government, individual freedom, and personal responsibility—have found ourselves increasingly uncomfortable with the direction the party has taken.

The truth is, the conservative movement has lost its way. In many cases, it doesn’t stand for anything at all. It has become a vehicle for division, exclusion, and regression, rather than a force for good. This is not the Republican Party that inspired us to get involved in politics. And as young people who still believe in the potential of the GOP, we find ourselves at a crossroads.

We aren’t quite ready to become Democrats. We are not the MAGA faction that owns the party today. We’re the Democracy Republican faction that believes in a Republican Party that is compassionate and forward-thinking.

We recognize that the conservative movement, as it stands today, is a fraud. It claims to uphold traditions and values, but in reality, it has become a hollow shell, devoid of the principles that once made it great. This realization, while disheartening, has also been liberating. It has freed us from the burden of defending a movement that no longer represents our values, and it has given us the clarity to envision a new path forward.

The future of the Republican Party is not in clinging to outdated ideas or resisting the inevitable tide of change. It’s in embracing the progress that many of us in the younger generation have been advocating for. The future of the GOP is pro-choice voters who understand that the government has no place in dictating personal decisions on matters of heart and home. It’s embracing the LGBTQ+ community, recognizing that equality and dignity are non-negotiable. The future of the Republican Party is in caring deeply about the environment, acknowledging that climate change is real, and promoting solutions that don’t rely on the heavy hand of government but instead harness the power of innovation and the free market.

We are not Democrats, and we don’t need to be. But we do need to restore a sense of balance and pragmatism to our politics. It’s time to rebuild the Republican Party as a force for good, one that can work with centrist Democrats to find common ground and get things done. This country once had conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, and that balance allowed for compromise and effective governance. We need to return to that—a GOP that represents a broad spectrum of ideas, not just a monolithic, reactionary stance.

This centrist Republican faction doesn’t exist right now, at least not in any organized form. But it’s what we’re going to build. This is what it means to be a Democracy Republican—someone who believes in the principles of democracy, who values pluralism, and who is committed to creating a party that is as diverse and dynamic as the country we love.

We’re not interested in gaining favor with right-wing pundits or the political elites who cowered to Trump. We’re interested in building a movement that resonates with the American people, particularly with those who have been disillusioned by both parties. We know this isn’t the dominant political faction today, but we also know that the future belongs to those who are willing to stand up and fight for it.

So, while the conservative movement may have lost its way, we haven’t. We are the future of the Republican Party—centrist, pragmatic, and unburdened by the past while honoring the aspirations of our Founding. Together, we’re going to build a movement that reflects the true spirit of America, one that embraces progress and rejects division. This is our time to reclaim what it means to be a Republican, and to ensure that our party—and our country—has a bright and inclusive future ahead.