My Last Day as an Accomplice of the Republican Party

[babylonsister]

My Last Day as an Accomplice of the Republican Party
Why I’m leaving the GOP and why I’m urging my former colleagues to do the same.
Miles Bruner
Oct 20, 2025


snip//

For ten years, the GOP has waged an unrelenting war on our civic institutions, the separation of powers, the foundation of the rule of law, and the very nature of truth itself. While Trump and his supporters in Congress have been the driving force behind the right’s descent into despotism, it would not have been possible without the thousands of consultants, aides, and politicos working behind the scenes to fully execute their systematic dismantling of American democratic norms.

That’s why I’m publishing this letter today.

For over twelve years, I worked inside the Republican ecosystem, helping the party advance its goals in several fields, ranging from grassroots voter outreach to digital fundraising. I worked inside GOP circles through Trump’s takeover of the party, his initial downfall, and his resurgence in 2023–2024. At every step along the way, I rationalized, compartmentalized, and found excuses to stay tethered to the party, even as I grew to believe it was undermining the foundations of our constitutional republic. But over the last few months, the compartmentalization and coping stopped working to silence my conscience.

And now, after more than a decade, I have decided I have finally had enough.

I quit. I quit the Republican party and my job as an accomplice to the party in the throes of an authoritarian cult. Today, I resigned from my career as a senior fundraising strategist for one of the leading Republican digital fundraising firms in Washington, D.C.

snip//

MY GOAL IN QUITTING the party and writing this piece is twofold: first, to shed light on why someone would continue to work for an increasingly corrupt and authoritarian political party despite their divergent ethical and political beliefs; second, to convince any number of consultants, staffers, and former colleagues to follow their consciences and leave with their integrity still intact.

more...

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/my-last-day-as-an-accomplice-of-the-republican-party-miles-bruner?triedRedirect=true

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Kudos to this man for standing tall

and trying to lead others to freedom.

[Clouds Passing]

2. Then he should have an inkling of how to undo the damage he has helped to create. Starting now.

[snowybirdie]

3. This young man and his responsibilities

is precisely why so many seniors were at the rallys. We have the time, the freedom to speak out and we are thoroughly pissed! Lets embrace these fine younguns and welcome them to reality!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. What great news! Major praise for this man who saw the light, and acted on it.

[spanone]

5. K&R

[J_William_Ryan]

6. "RINO"

The fascist right will claim this is ‘fake.’

[Solly Mack]

7. Good on him and all but it's been a lot longer than 10 years.

For ten years, the GOP has waged an unrelenting war on our civic institutions, the separation of powers, the foundation of the rule of law, and the very nature of truth itself

Way longer.

Sure, credit where credit is due, but I simply will not abide a republican or former republican pretending this all started with Trump. The GOP has long been on this path and Trump is the culmination of it all.

[IbogaProject]

14. Yep, Joseph McCarthy was GOP

They turned sour after Teddy Roosevelt.

[Solly Mack]

16. Excellent example.

[electric_blue68]

21. Well, maybe he'll think on that more down the road...in the meantime TY, sir!

[Glorious bastard]

8. If any Republican is confused about what wokeness means, this is it.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

20. They're not confused. They just spell "woke" with a capital "N"

[Ping Tung]

9. I wish my own rep (D) would take an oath to do the same and stick to it.

[myohmy2]

10. too little...

...too late...

...the Republicans have been doing everything they can to fuck us and our country over for much more than 10 years...

...if and when our side regains power I hope we'll now be prepared to respond in kind to the Republican fuck-over and possibly up the ante...

...we should neither forgive nor forget...

...I'll be voting accordingly...

[Martin Eden]

11. If he's just quitting now, his integrity was lost years ago

But at least he's taking a first step in getting it back.

[LearnedHand]

12. Better now than never though

I appreciate how he takes responsibility for not giving it up long before he did. One defector plus one defector plus one defector eventually adds up to a significant amount.

[Martin Eden]

13. Every one who stands against the fascist regime is a plus

And is welcome.

[electric_blue68]

22. Yes. Right Now we Need Everybody!

[drmeow]

18. His integrity was lost

12 years ago when he started fundraising for the Republican party. But, even if we allow for him to still have some integrity 12 years ago, if he had wanted to pretend to continue to have integrity, he should have quit fund raising when McConnell wouldn't confirm Obama's SCOTUS nominee in 2016. By ANY metric continuing to support Republicans at that point indicated ZERO integrity and full blown "f**k the American people, the right wing will do ANYTHING to consolidate power."

[hibbing]

15. consultants, aides, and politicos, no mention of corporate media? n/t

[mn9driver]

17. Regarding republicans keeping their integrity:

Too late. The last train for republicans keeping their integrity intact left the station on January 6, 2021.

Fuck them all. They are traitors.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

19. I hate to see people quit the Republican party.

It would be far better if they stayed and fought for a better Republican party.

Plus, I'm afraid they'll join the Democratic party and cause trouble.

[DuaneT]

24. I'm still a registered Republican in Florida

But I only remain rino to vote in primaries as I quit voting for republicans about 16 years ago.

[struggle4progress]

23. "OMG! We have destroyed America! I shall clutch my pearls

and proclaim loudly that I really had no idea what was happening! I will now offer my experience and keen insights to the opposition"