In Atlanta, former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger endorses Biden, whose campaign wants to flip anti-Trump Republicans

Republican former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (left) and former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (right) speak at the Georgia state Capitol Wednesday, June 26, 2004 during a press conference where Kinzinger endorsed President Joe Biden. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger endorsed President Joe Biden on Wednesday, giving the Democrat a prominent new ally in his high-stakes campaign to win over moderate Republicans and independents this fall.

Kinzinger, a military pilot who emerged as a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol was attacked by Trump’s supporters, described Trump as “a direct threat to every fundamental American value” in a video announcing the Biden endorsement.

“While I certainly don’t agree with President Biden on everything, and I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for president, I know that he will always protect the very thing that makes America the best country in the world: our democracy,” said Kinzinger, who voted for Trump in 2020.