Gov. Josh Shapiro stepped up to the podium Sunday in the shade of a barn beside a quiet country road in picturesque — and heavily Republican — Lehman Township.
The Pennsylvania Democrat was flanked by three Republicans of national stature. All four took to the microphone to endorse Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House.
"If you would have told me we'd be eight days out from an election, and I'd be here in beautiful Luzerne County with all of you, and be literally the only Democrat on the stage, I'd have told you you were crazy," Shapiro quipped.
Joining Shapiro were former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger — whom Shapiro described as "patriots putting country before party."
Each of them voiced full-throated support for Harris. And each of them expressed reservations about her opponent, Republican Donald Trump.
As Shapiro pointed out, each has found themselves in the crosshairs of Trump's anger.
Duncan was pressured by Trump to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election victory in Georgia, and needed added security for himself and his family in the wake of threats he received for standing up to Trump.
"I am supporting Kamala Harris because I care more about the future of this country than the future of Donald Trump. I don't stand here as a Republican. I stand here as an American like each and every one of you," Duncan said.
"I watched Donald Trump hijack my Republican Party. I watched him steal our moral compass. I watched him steal our legislative agendas. I watched him destroy us. We can't talk as a party. We can't even sometimes talk as families, as Republicans, because he's taken us straight into the gutter," Duncan added.
Kinzinger found himself facing the ire of Trump and other members of his party as he criticized the former president's actions on Jan. 6, 2021 and served on the committee which investigated that day's attack on the U.S. Capitol.
And Whitman had extensive dealings with Trump as a real estate developer and casino owner when she was Governor of New Jersey.
"I want to tell you when people say to me, well, we want a businessman, I say great, but a businessman that's gone bankrupt six times?" Whitman said.
Whitman, from a Republican family, said she was speaking as an American, with respect for the rule of law and the Constitution, and that she believes Harris' policies will be better for the nation's middle class.
"We want somebody who is focused on us and on bringing down costs and really making America work again," Whitman said, explaining that she has concerns about Trump imposing tariffs that would raise costs for American consumers.
Whitman also focused on the rights of women in the wake of the Dobbs Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe V. Wade and national abortion rights. She believes Trump would further erode women's rights.
"I have seven grandkids, one of whom is a granddaughter. I want her to have the same rights over her body as I've had over mine," Whitman said.
"As a Republican, we understand the importance of government, just not in our bedrooms and not in our homes," she said. "Kamala Harris will work to protect and bring back those protections we had under Roe."
Kinzinger, who served in the Air Force in both Iraq and Afghanistan, said he worries that Trump would destroy the democracy that generations of Americans fought and died to protect. He also expressed confidence that Harris would continue to support Ukraine — and democracy, at home and overseas.
"It's important that we have people that are willing to put their life on the line, to defend democracy. All we're asked to do is go out and vote," Kinzinger said.
"When you look at the generations that did so much for us, we can't be exhausted. We can't be tired. We will rise up and defeat tyranny in our own country," Kinzinger added, saying he hopes voters will reject a future "where you live in fear of what the president might do."
Whitman echoed that theme.
"You've heard every time: This is the most important election," she said.
"This is, because if Donald Trump gets back into the White House — someone who disrespects the rule of law and the Constitution? Someone who said he wants generals like Hitler's who will do what he wants? Who said on day one he wants to be a dictator? — Believe him when he says it," Whitman said.
Duncan also said his fears include Trump supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin and abandoning Ukraine in its ongoing battle against Russia's invasion.
"And what story do I want to tell my kids when I when I look at the news in a year or two from now and I watch Ukraine? Do I want to watch Ukraine stop being a free and sovereign nation and in the hands of Vladimir Putin," he asked.
In a conversation with reporters after the speeches, Shapiro acknowledged sharing those fears, but also said he is focused on what he sees as the positives of Harris' candidacy.
"I think Donald Trump poses a real threat to our fundamental freedoms and our democracy," Shapiro said.
"I'm choosing to make more of an affirmative case, though, about Kamala Harris, as opposed to just saying negative things about Donald Trump. I think there's a lot of reasons to vote for Kamala Harris," he added. "I'm focused on helping Kamala Harris win this election."
