Bipartisan endorsements surge in key races
Former governors and state officials are backing opposing party candidates in Alaska, Kansas, and Texas as midterm voting approaches.
By Austin Reed ·
Voters in Alaska, Kansas, and Texas are seeing more endorsements from officials of the opposing party this year. These cross-party signals aim to sway undecided voters in tight midterm races scheduled for November.
In Alaska, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins on Tuesday. This move breaks from the traditional party alignment for the state's top executive position.
Kansas has seen similar shifts. Former Republican governors Bill Graves and Mike Hayden announced their support for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton in September and October, respectively. Their backing adds weight to Hamilton's campaign against the incumbent Republican.
The trend is pronounced in Texas, where the campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico claims support from over two dozen former GOP officials. This week, former state senator Kel Seliger added his name to the list, choosing Talarico over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Seliger defended his decision by contrasting the candidates' temperaments. “James Talarico is not some wild-eyed socialist,” he said. “I think he’s going to be honest. And I think he’s going to be frank and direct.” He added that he believes Talarico will prioritize what is best for Texas over the interests of Elon Musk.
Republican officials also point to cross-party support for their own nominees. Natalie Baldassarre, the RNC’s national press secretary, highlighted the Michigan Senate race between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed. She cited the coalition “Democrats for Mike Rogers” as evidence that this cycle is seeing more partisan overlap.
Joshua Blank, a research director at the Texas Politics Project, cautioned that these endorsements may have a limited impact. He noted that cross-party voting typically involves a small share of the electorate. “We’re not talking about a large group of Republicans crossing party lines,” he said. He added that if elections are close, these idiosyncratic behaviors could still matter.
