With key races in red and purple states like Texas, Alaska, Georgia and Arizona, Democrats are turning to Republican validators to help them win statewide contests.
Candidates are trotting out endorsements from prominent Republican officials, and even bringing some on to join their campaigns. Many of these contests are in states where the GOP has a significant registration advantage, or recent statewide contests have been extremely close, so nabbing some share of the vote from those who haven’t pulled the lever for a Democrat before is essential.
“Every Democrat says we need a bigger tent, but it’s up to each candidate to show that they actually mean it,” said Andrew Mamo, a spokesperson for The Bench, a group that has boosted center-left Democrats in contested races this cycle.
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico poached a staffer from Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s Senate office to serve as deputy policy director, an unheard of move in today’s partisan environment that has drawn criticism from some on the left and on the right.
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“My message to Texans across the political spectrum is clear: no matter which party you belong to, which part of the state you’re from, or which candidate you supported in the primary — you have a place in this campaign,” Talarico said in a statement explaining the hire.
Talarico is running against Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defeated Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff earlier this year. Paxton’s scandals have troubled some Republicans in the state, giving Democrats hope that this year could finally be their chance to flip a seat that hasn’t been represented by a Democrat in over 30 years.
Cornyn on Tuesday urged conservatives criticizing him over his staffer’s decision to join Talarico’s campaign to work harder at strengthening their party’s appeal.
“Those concerned might want to channel their energy into broadening R[epublican] outreach to a coalition of voters rather than just those already converted,” Cornyn wrote in a post online on Tuesday.
Democratic candidates, Mamo said, need “show not tell moments that say, ‘Hello GOP & Indy voters, I’m not your average Democrat and I’m ok making some people mad in order to win your support.’ That’s how we go from talking about a big tent to building it.”
Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff announced endorsements by three Republicans, including former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and two local Georgia mayors, earlier this month, in his reelection bid for a second term against Rep. Mike Collins, the Republican nominee in the race.
Flake, who also endorsed Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020, cited Ossoff’s character, constituent work, and commitment to the institution of the Senate as reasons why he chose to back the freshman Democrat, who’s been getting a lot of 2028 presidential buzz lately.
“Endorsements overall are overrated,” Flake said in an interview with NOTUS. “But cross-party endorsements can help and have helped in the past. I think it’s a smart strategy.”
Another Arizona politician, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, is making a similar play for independent and GOP voters. Hobbs recently selected John Giles, a Republican former Mesa mayor, as her running mate for lieutenant governor this year. Giles also endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
“The one thing you hear in swing voter focus groups over and over again is exhaustion with politics,” said Democratic political strategist Steve Schale, who’s not involved in the Arizona race. “Her math problem is similar to [Talarico], and the thing is, it really doesn’t lose her much … Even in Democratic primaries, the trait ‘can work with Republicans to get things done’ usually polls pretty strong.”
“Hobbs is making a bet — that appears to be working — that voters are just over it and want grown ass adults to get things done. I love it — and I wish more Dems in lean Red states running for Governor would do it,” he said.
And in Alaska, a Senate battleground in 2026, Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola is hoping that voters will view her rejection of financial support from Harris — who is viewed negatively by most Republicans in the state — as evidence of her independent streak. President Donald Trump won Alaska by 13 points in 2024, and an association with national Democrats would likely hurt Peltola’s campaign in the red state.
Democrats have tried this strategy before, including in the last three presidential elections, to varying success. Biden narrowly beat Trump in 2020 in purple states by similarly touting Republican endorsements. In 2024, Harris even teamed up with former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming), campaigning with her to make appeals to Republicans who were uneasy about Donald Trump. She went on to lose anyway.
National Republicans believe it also won’t work this year.
“Democrats trying to appeal to Republican voters is like a career criminal suddenly running for sheriff,” said Natalie Baldassarre, the national press secretary for the Republican National Committee. “All of these far-left extremists support open borders, higher taxes and endless government control. Democrats should get their own house in order before they come looking for new voters.”
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