The craziest month in politics continues, with President Biden suspending his reelection campaign on Sunday and endorsing Kamala Harris to succeed him.

It’s still to be seen if this was a smart move (Harris had the largest one-day fundraising haul in history, but we still have another week to see how polls respond), but that’s not what this post is about.

This post is about one question: is there a reason for conservatives to vote for Kamala Harris?

But before I get into answering that question, let me talk about some major issues with Kamala.

Why I don’t like Kamala Harris

There are quite a few reasons I dislike Harris. Many of them are obvious. But a few specific reasons:

• Coming up in California politics, I take issue with how she has historically treated the legislative bodies alongside which she has existed (the SF Board of Supervisors while she was District Attorney, and the California Legislature while she was Attorney General).

• I think she is a political opportunist, a weathervane that has very few actual principles that exist outside of what is politically convenient.

• The few principles it seems she does have are so progressive that they are almost diametrically opposed to my beliefs.

• She has never demonstrated a bipartisan bone in her body, and doesn’t appear to have any intention to do so if elected.

Simply put, Harris is the epitome of reach exceeding grasp; of a politician having ambition beyond their capability.

Combined with her political views, I believe she is simply not fit to hold the office of President of the United States of America.

But neither was Biden. And Trump certainly isn’t.

So Why Might a Conservative Like Me Vote for Harris?

Let’s take a step back and pretend the race is still Trump vs Biden for a second, and compare the reasons that I as a conservative wouldn’t vote for either of them:

While the manifestations of these issues are different between Trump and Biden (for example, Trump seems willing to let China invade Taiwan while Biden is insufficiently hawkish on Putin’s Russia), they both present the same issues for a conservative trying to decide between the two.

While I don’t live in a swing state and am able to sleep soundly while voting for neither of the two, it would genuinely be painful to vote for either.

But let’s do the same analysis for a Trump vs Harris campaign:

Many of the same issues are present for Harris as existed for Biden, but there are two notable issues that she doesn’t have:

• Vice Presidential Picks

• Age

On VP Picks

We don’t yet know who Harris is going to pick to be her running mate, but reports seem to indicate that Mark Kelly of Arizona and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania—two moderate Democrats.

Joe Biden is not a moderate, and neither is Kamala Harris.

If you were to average the “progressiveness” of the Biden/Harris ticket vs the ticket that Kamala ends up leading, the new Democratic ticket is almost certainly going to be more conservative on net than the old ticket.

Now, I know it might seem like I’m counting Harris’ progressivism as an asset in one column but discounting it in the other, but I’m not. I will eagerly concede that Harris will remain a candidate on the ticket that is far more progressive than I think is healthy in a leader.

But my focus is not just on this current election; it’s on 2028, 2032, and beyond. And while Biden running this year ensured that Harris would likely be around in at least two future elections, this ticket reduces how long Harris will be around while elevating more moderate voices in the party.

The path to guiding the Democratic party back to the center can start with this election. It can start with putting a moderate like Josh Shapiro on the national stage and setting us up for future elections between less extreme candidates.

On Age

But Kamala’s strength goes beyond her likely VP pick—it also includes her age.

Electing Trump or Biden means electing a politician I deeply disagree with that also could pose a risk to our country due to the mental decline that sets in at their age.

Electing Kamala means electing a politician I deeply disagree with but at least can likely fulfill the most basic requirements of the office.

With Trump and Biden alike, I would have to worry not just about policy, but about whether the President would be lucid in a time of crisis. I don’t have to worry about that with Harris.

We all lived through the Obama years. For conservatives, it was a tough administration. But we didn’t die or collapse into civil war.

There’s a very valid case that a Harris administration would look similar to an Obama administration—four to eight years of suboptimal policy, a weaker economy than we are capable of having, and foreign policy mistakes.

But Trump’s administration would look very similar, with the added risk of constitutional crisis added on top.

That’s just too much to swing for me. So there’s an appeal I can see in accepting four years of “meh” and planning to win the next election with a real, serious conservative candidate.

But What About…

Now, if you’re conservative, you’re probably reading this and thinking about a certain pet issue that Kamala Harris is awful on.

But I bet you don’t realize how bad Trump is on those very issues as well.

Abortion? Increased under Trump and increased after the Dobbs decision.

Deficit spending? Increased under Trump.

Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal? That process was started under Trump.

Illegal immigration? Increased under Trump.

Second Amendment? Some of the most restrictive gun laws of the past decade were advocated for or signed off by Trump.

Simply put, there’s no issue that would disqualify Harris from earning my vote that doesn’t also disqualify Trump from earning that same vote.

Does This Mean I’m Voting for Kamala Harris?

Probably not. Remember, I don’t live in a swing state! Donald Trump will receive Idaho’s 4 electoral votes no matter how I vote. The silver lining of my presidential vote not mattering is I don’t have to choose between the lesser of two evils.

So just like in years past, I’ll likely just vote my conscience and write in Mitch Daniels or Mitt Romney or some other respectable Republican that I believe would make a good President.

But if I lived in a swing state?

Honestly?

There’s a chance.