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Most readers will be familiar with J. Michael Luttig, the unquestionably conservative former federal judge who became disgusted with Donald Trump and Trumpism, and who has worked to defeat the Republican Party, in hopes of saving it from the former president.
The Texas equivalent to Luttig is Glen Whitley. Whitley was a judge in Tarrant County for many years, and is also unquestionably conservative. Like Luttig, Whitley is well-traveled in conservative legal and political circles. And like Luttig, Whitley is currently working to defeat the Republican Party.
Whitley made headlines this weekend when he appeared at a rally for Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) to offer an endorsement in the U.S. Senate race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Whitley likes much of what he sees from Allred, including his work on the border, and on eliminating the use of burn pits by the military. Meanwhile, like so many others, Whitley loathes Cruz. He says he can no longer support the Senator, as Cruz is in Donald Trump's pocket and has otherwise shown a total lack of integrity. Hard to disagree with that assessment.
This is not the main reason we note Whitley's remarks, however. It's that he said something else that Democratic voters will find very interesting, about "shy Harris" voters:
There are a lot, I think. They're afraid to come out, because when they do, they get ridiculed and they get bullied and they get belittled. And so a lot of people who have been staunch Republicans and still are staunch Republicans, are afraid to stand up and be confrontational with some of the leaders that we have right now.
It's going to be close, but I truly believe that a lot of Republicans are going to go into that booth and say, 'I can't support the insurrection.' ... I have talked with a number of people who I believe will do that, and they may not openly come out and say, 'I'm voting for Harris,' or they may just not vote.
The crowd, being overwhelmingly Democratic, thought that was great.
There has been much speculation, including on this site, about a potential "shy Harris" phenomenon. Whitley is just one guy, of course, and his evidence is anecdotal, so you can't exactly take it to the bank. That said, if anyone is in a position to have insight on this, it's him. The possibility that he actually is onto something is high enough we thought his comments worth noting. (Z)