The Brief:

• Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a Republican, endorses Kamala Harris, breaking ranks with his party over concerns about Trump's leadership.
• Holt emphasizes the "three Cs": character, competence, and commitment to government, as essential virtues for presidential candidates.
• His endorsement reflects a desire to prioritize values and democratic principles over policy alignment, challenging traditional political norms.

In a notable move that has captured the attention of both local and national audiences, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a steadfast Republican, publicly threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential race. In an opinion piece for the Philadelphia Citizen, Mayor Holt did not mince words as he laid out his reasons for breaking ranks with his party's former leader, Donald Trump.

Opinion: OKC Mayor David Holt says he's voting for character, competence, commitmenthttps://t.co/kEbVZWMb5A

— J.D. Baker (@JD__Baker) October 25, 2024

Holt's commentary began with a biblical invocation, “‘Hold fast to what is good.’ — 1 Thessalonians 5:21,” setting the tone for a deeply reflective critique on leadership and moral integrity in politics. Drawing from his extensive background in Republican circles—including casting his first presidential vote for George W. Bush and later serving in the Bush White House—Holt emphasized that while policy differences are inherent to political competition, the essence of leadership lies beyond just policy stances.

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The heart of Holt’s argument rested on what he termed the "three Cs": character, competence, and commitment to government—a trinity of virtues he believes are essential for anyone occupying the highest office in the land. These virtues, according to Holt, transcend partisan divides and should be non-negotiable benchmarks for presidential candidates.

Reflecting on past elections, Holt confessed to previously prioritizing policy over these core virtues but noted that recent events had forced a shift in his perspective. Specifically, he cited alarming statements by Trump suggesting parts of the U.S. Constitution could be terminated—a notion Holt found antithetical to America's foundational principles.

Holt’s critique extended beyond constitutional reverence to encompass respect for democratic processes, term limits, peaceful transfers of power, and other pillars of American democracy traditionally taken for granted. His disappointment with Trump's departure from these principles was palpable as he lamented how expectations once considered baseline for presidential conduct now seemed imperiled.

As Oklahoma City’s mayor looked ahead to future elections, he expressed a longing for a time when policy debates could again take center stage without being overshadowed by concerns about fundamental virtues. Yet, until such a day arrives, Holt pledged to prioritize character over policy alignment—casting his lot with Harris as an emblematic stand against what he views as a corrosion of core American values under Trump's influence.

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Concluding with a reiteration of his opening biblical quote, Holt's endorsement was less about partisan politics and more about an appeal to return to virtue-based leadership criteria—a call echoing far beyond Oklahoma City's boundaries into the broader national discourse.

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