Anti-Trump Republicans Take DNC Stage To Support Biden

MILWAUKEE, WI — Republicans who oppose the presidency of Donald Trump will have their say on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who ran for president in 2016, will be among the featured speakers in the convention that's taken on a virtual formal amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kasich will be part of a group of Republicans expected to endorse Joe Biden, who will accept his party's nomination for president at the Milwaukee convention, NBC News and others have reported. Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, former Hewlett Packard CEO and current Quibi CEO Meg Whitman, and former New York Rep. Susan Molinari are joining Kasich in crossing party lines to support Biden as part of a coalition known as "We The People, Putting Party Over Country."

Read: Milwaukee DNC Convention 2020 - Here's Everything You Need To Know

Kasich, who's on tap as a featured speaker on night one of the convention, has said he was approached by Democratic leaders to make the public statement.

“I’m a Republican," he told BuzzFeed News. "But I just think that at this point in time, my Republican affiliation is outweighed by my concern about the direction of the country.”

If you'd like to see my @DemConvention speech this evening, we expect it to air in the 10-11PM ET hour. Hope you can tune in! #DemConvention
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) August 17, 2020

Kasich, the last Republican to drop out of the 2016 primary before Trump was nominated, did not support the president in the general election but also did not make an endorsement for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton that year.

Night one of the DNC begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are among the other featured speakers. Watch a livestream of the convention here.