He was the voice of conservative radio in Milwaukee for nearly 25 years. But these days, Charlie Sykes spends his time as a fierce critic of Donald Trump.
Now, he's taking it a step further by voting for Vice President Kamala Harris.
TMJ4's Chief Political Reporter Charles Benson asked Sykes why during an exclusive interview.
Sykes was required listening on the radio for Republicans, as he often annoyed Democrats with his cutting commentary on the state of Wisconsin politics.
But now, it's Republicans—specifically former President Donald Trump—on the receiving end of his take on this year's presidential race.
Watch: Charlie Sykes tells Charles Benson why he's voting for Kamala Harris:
"I don’t think this is a normal election, so I'm doing something that I have to admit would have been a big surprise to me—even a few years ago," said the now MSNBC political commentator. "But Donald Trump cannot be allowed back in the White House, and the only way to prevent that from happening is to support Kamala Harris."
Sykes has been a Never Trumper since 2016, when he angered some of his listeners with his tense on-air clash with then-candidate Donald Trump during the April Wisconsin primary.
Trump sent Sykes a personal message attached to a New York Times article, hoping the radio host would change his mind.
Trump lost the Wisconsin primary but won the state in November 2016, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to do so in nearly 40 years.
Sykes says his conservative principles or beliefs haven't changed, but he thinks the Republican Party has under Trump. He admits to being skeptical of Harris and Democratic policies.
"This is not about whether I agree on tax policy or agree on student loan debt, which I don't," Sykes said. "It's about whether we are going to have fidelity to democratic norms. It's whether or not you are going to be a decent person or someone who is going to tear apart the fabric of this country."
Sykes joins a list of Republicans who are not voting for Trump. He was with longtime Republican Liz Cheney—an outspoken critic of Trump’s for the January 6 Capitol riot—when she endorsed Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Ripon.
Benson: Why vote for her and not take the Paul Ryan route and vote for somebody else you would want as a conservative?
Sykes: We are at an extraordinary moment where so many people who work closely—are not going to support him—though they may not be endorsing Kamala Harris.
Sykes added: "If you regard Donald Trump as an existential threat to our constitutional Republican values, then I don’t think there's any choice. It might feel good, it might feel warm and fuzzy, to write in George Washington, but George Washington isn't on the ballot."
It's not his first vote for a Democrat—Sykes says he voted for Joe Biden in 2020.
The Wisconsin Trump campaign sent the following statement in reaction to the news that Sykes would vote for Harris:
"If a so-called ‘conservative’ – who also happens to be a rabidly anti-Trump MSNBC talking head – is advocating for another four years of unfettered illegal immigration and rising prices under Kamala Harris, he’s neither conservative nor worth listening to.” – WI Team Trump Communications Director Jacob Fischer.
