Retiring Rep. Paul Mitchell leaves GOP over Trump’s bid to overturn election

Rep. Paul Mitchell announced he’s leaving the Republican Party just weeks before his January retirement, making it clear that President Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the election is what drove him to the decision.

The Michigan congressman, who has been a vocal critic of the president despite his voting record mainly aligning with the Trump administration’s interests, sent a letter on Monday to Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, informing them that he is changing his party affiliation to “independent.”

“As you well know, my voting record in Congress over the past two terms has been in line with President Trump and the administration’s policies more than 95 percent of the time,” Mitchell wrote. “Further, I voted for President Trump in the 2020 General Election despite some reservations about four more years under his leadership.”

Mitchell, who announced his plans to retire at the end of his term in July of 2019, said the president’s push to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election became too much for him to bear.

“I have stated publicly numerous times that when entering the political arena, a person must be willing to accept winning and losing with grace and maturity,” he said. “Having personally experienced both winning and losing, the latter can be brutal.”

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Mitchell acknowledged the lawsuit filed by the Texas attorney general aimed at throwing out the votes of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Georgia and the amicus brief filed in support of it by 126 Republican congressmen. The Supreme Court rejected the case on Friday.

“As I saw that amicus brief as well as the discussions over the weekend in the national media, it became clear to me that I could no longer be associated with the Republican Party,” Mitchell said. “That leadership does not stand up and say, ‘The process, the election is over.’ It’s over today.”

Although he no longer wishes to be a Republican, Mitchell clarified that he will still support those with whom he shares values.

“I’m a fiscal conservative,” he added. “I believe in small government.”

In his letter, Mitchell concluded, “I am also requesting that the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives change my party affiliation to Independent for the remainder of my term in office. While admittedly symbolic, we all know that symbols matter.”

Mitchell follows fellow Michigan Rep. Justin Amash in leaving the Republican Party during Trump’s administration. Amash became an independent in 2019 and switched to the Libertarian Party earlier this year before briefly considering a run for president.