I’ve never voted for Donald Trump, but I’ve also never voted for any of his opponents in a general election. My voting history is complicated, kind of like my feelings — as a Never Trumper — about the Republican Party: I voted for Marco Rubio in the 2016 primaries, then sat out the general; crossed party lines in Virginia to vote for Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic primaries (to stop Bernie Sanders), then wrote in Ronald Reagan for the general; and wrote in Reagan again in 2024.
Suffice it to say, as a lifelong Republican, I’m not in the habit of voting for Democrats. I’ve only ever voted for one in a general election (my math teacher at Frederick Community College, who was running against a liberal Republican for the Maryland state senate), and even during the Trump era, I’ve frequently voted for down-ballot Republicans, so long as they haven’t embraced the worst aspects of Trumpism.
As a writer, I’ve been a critic of Trump and his Republican minions from day one, but I haven’t fully acted on these views at the ballot box. This year, however, is my breaking point: I’m voting for Democrats in the midterms. And if you’re a Republican who is hoping for a restoration of sanity, the rule of law and conservative principles, you should consider doing the same.
While progressive readers might scoff and say, “Welcome to the party, pal!” my decision to vote Democratic in 2026 is a big leap for me. I have long resisted taking this final step, probably for complex emotional reasons that will come out someday during an intense counseling session. If you had pressed me for a logical reason in recent years, I’d probably have told you that I didn’t want to later regret advancing progressive goals on particular topics — the most sacred issue being the right to life of the unborn.
This year, too, voting Democratic is probably going to involve casting a ballot for people with whom I profoundly disagree (although on some issues, like data centers, I’m more in line with the Democrats at the moment). Who are the Democrats I’ll be voting for here in West Virginia, where I now live? I couldn’t even tell you.
At this point, though, it doesn’t especially matter. Trump is a greater threat to my conservative values and policy preferences than any Democrat. His level of chaos and corruption has gotten worse during his second term, which is saying a lot. And almost all elected Republicans are now complicit in his sins: the war in Iran, telling Americans worried about AI and data centers that they’re stupid, “banning” media outlets, incidents of law-enforcement agents killing immigrants and American citizens, his continued election denialism, and so on. What’s more, if liberal democracy collapses (and my belief is that Trump’s authoritarian tendencies are more likely to accelerate over the next two years if he retains his hold on Congress and his popularity), then everything else — no matter how important or noble the cause — is in peril, anyway.
But it’s not simply that my disgust with Trump is boiling over. Not to sound like Captain Obvious, but I’ve concluded that the Republican Party isn’t going to fix itself unless it absolutely has to. Whether it’s Trump voters, cult members, drug addicts, alcoholics or New York Jets fans, most people have to hit rock bottom before they are willing to change.
For years now, Republicans have avoided bottoming out — that is, having to deal with the consequences of their behavior. This is because American elections are binary (you’ll win about half the time based solely on the other side’s failures), the deck is stacked toward the GOP (see the Electoral College) and Republicans have refused to honestly acknowledge losses (Trump actually won in 2020, so what’s to fix?). A clear rejection of Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box in 2026 — one so definitive that no amount of spin or lying could obscure it — is the first step toward acceptance, which is a necessary step toward recovery.
We might even start to see Republicans showing some spine. And actually, in anticipation of a wipeout, it’s already happening. GOP candidates and elected officials have begun distancing themselves from the Iran war, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s violent tactics and the administration’s practice of using taxpayer dollars to run campaign ads meant to boost Republicans in the midterms.
A stinging midterm loss would reward and encourage more of this independence. But if a blue wave fails to materialize, it will have the opposite effect: Republicans will conclude that their safest bet is still to stick with Trumpism.
Now, if you’re a Republican, you might be thinking that, by writing this, I’m going to cost the GOP votes, and thus will be responsible for whatever the Democrats do.
First, you flatter me. Second, nothing I could say would harm the GOP’s midterm chances more than Trump already has with his war in Iran, his tariffs and his decision to purge Republican senators like John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. Third, Trump will still be president if Democrats take the House and Senate, so it’s not like the socialists will suddenly seize control and start passing new laws unilaterally. The midterms are much more about sending a message to Trump and his sycophants in Washington, and checking Trump’s powers going forward.
Besides, what bad, un-conservative things could Democrats do? I mean, are they going to start another forever war in the Middle East? Start socializing industries? Raise the national debt to $40 trillion? Cause abortion rates to rise? Increase the cost of groceries and gas? Pal around with socialists (like Zohran Mamdani)? Suck up to communists (like Chinese President Xi Jinping)? Nominate a bunch of weirdos, drunks and inexperienced hacks to the Cabinet? Pursue self-enrichment? Start building monuments to themselves? Threaten to use the power of government on their opponents?
Why, heck, you’d have to be some sort of left-wing nut to do all that stuff, right?
If you’re a conservative, it’s just really hard to come up with a credible reason why returning Trump’s enablers to Congress this November will help accomplish anything resembling conservative policies or values. All it will do is ensure Trump has zero accountability as he drives America into a financial ditch with one hand and crumples the Constitution with the other.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I harbor no illusions that Republicans will soon be restored to their previous status as the party of Lincoln and Reagan. And I’m well aware that the midterms won’t be decided by Never Trump conservatives hoping to take our party back — there just aren’t enough of us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help nudge the nation in the right direction.
So for 2026, at least, I’m committing the ultimate act of rebellion. I hope other Republicans will do so as well — and maybe, just maybe, we can save our party in the process.
Matt K. Lewis is a Washington Sun Perspectives columnist.
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