Kamala Harris Receives Shocking Endorsement

In a surprising twist for American politics, Richard Spencer, the figurehead credited with coining the term “alt-right” and a known organizer of the infamous 2017 “Unite the Right” rally, has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic candidates on the Montana ballot. Spencer’s endorsement was broadcast to his 93,500 followers on X (formerly Twitter) last Friday night. He shared, “I want you all to know that I am voting for Kamala Harris, and I hope you will too.”

This shocking endorsement comes from a man once celebrated by far-right nationalists for chanting “Hail Trump” at a victory party in 2016, a rallying cry that underscored his support for Donald Trump’s unorthodox brand of nationalist rhetoric. Yet Spencer now says he’s voting blue this election, marking a sharp reversal. “I just want someone competent in charge,” Spencer explained in a Saturday morning interview with Newsweek. “Something needs to happen instead of endless demonization of the other side.”

For years, Spencer was a fixture in far-right circles, donning a “suit-and-tie” image that helped the alt-right shed its “fringe” reputation. The Southern Poverty Law Center once described him as “a kind of professional racist in khakis,” indicating his role in giving far-right ideology a veneer of legitimacy. But this latest endorsement seems to signal a distancing from that camp. “There’s a total absence of policy among the GOP,” he stated. “It’s the ‘no’ party, almost nihilistic,” he said, contrasting it with the Democrats, whom he now views as “more competent” and willing “to govern the whole country.”

Spencer’s stance marks an extraordinary ideological shift, aligning himself with candidates he once vilified. He highlighted the GOP’s opposition to a bipartisan border bill earlier this year as a breaking point for him. “If you don’t want things to get better, you’re sort of evil,” he noted, referencing Republican-led opposition to any productive policy.

His endorsement came via a nearly 12-minute video posted on X, where he affirmed, “This is not some kind of troll or joke; this is a sincere vote.” He framed the endorsement as a choice for stability and effective management. “Voting should be about who best offers stability, safety, continuation, and is most likely to be the best manager of the American empire,” he explained. According to Spencer, the decision is clear. “Donald Trump and the MAGA movement bring nothing but stupidity and chaos,” he said.

In past years, Spencer’s worldview led him to support Trump. “Trump was sounding really politically incorrect, nationalist notes back in 2016, and there was this notion that everything was going to change,” Spencer told Newsweek. He admitted there was “a kind of beauty in chaos.” Yet, he no longer sees that in the Trump movement, calling the prospects of a second Trump presidency “a catastrophe for everyone.” He worries Trump would “dismantle” what he calls the “American empire,” which includes longstanding foreign policy institutions, NATO, and the dollar’s global dominance. “I just don’t support that,” he declared.

Spencer only endorsed Trump’s first campaign and backed Joe Biden in 2020, although Biden’s campaign quickly disavowed the endorsement. Reflecting on Biden’s term, Spencer offered cautious praise, calling Biden a “pretty good president” and citing achievements like the CHIPS Act and the Build Back Better initiative.

A former co-editor of the now-defunct Altright.com and ex-president of the National Policy Institute, Spencer has spent years spreading white supremacist and misogynistic rhetoric. His endorsement of Harris marks an ironic reversal. In 2016, Spencer tweeted about Hillary Clinton, “Women should never be allowed to make foreign policy.” Asked by Newsweek about this shift, Spencer commented, “Women on average are as smart as men, if not smarter. I have total confidence in Harris and her administration as competent administrators.”

Spencer even referenced Trump’s rally remarks about being the “protector” of women, stating, “I’m going to protect women … whether they like it or not!” This was likely a dig at Trump’s controversial phrasing, which Spencer said echoed a type of paternalism he now finds distasteful.

Spencer resides in Whitefish, Montana, a deep red state where Democratic candidates like Senator Jon Tester and Congressional candidate Monica Tranel are fighting tough races. “Tester and Monica Tranel are just real centrists,” he told Newsweek. “They’re not crazy woke liberals; they’re just reasonable people.”

Spencer’s key issue in this election? Ukraine. His support for continued U.S. aid to Ukraine reflects another break with Trump’s isolationist stance. “If the Republicans get their way, they’d pull us out of everything,” he said. For Spencer, this is too dangerous a gamble for America’s global standing.

In a telling comment on right-wing commentator Tim Pool’s criticism of Harris, whom Pool called a “Communazi Despot,” Spencer replied, “A bit much?”