Former Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president on Thursday, calling Republican Donald Trump "totally unhinged."
Upton, who served 18 terms before retiring in 2022, made the comments in an interview with The Detroit News. He becomes the highest-profile Republican in Michigan to back Harris, according to the News.
Upton, 71, said Trump has "ignored the advice of many senior, respected Republicans to stay on the issues."
"Instead, he's still talking about the election being stolen, trashing women left and right. He's just totally unhinged. We don't need this chaos. We need to move forward, and that's why I'm where I am," Upton told the News.
The Trump campaign in Michigan waved off Upton’s endorsement.
"Any 'Republican' campaigning for another four years of unfettered illegal immigration and rising prices under Kamala Harris is neither Republican nor worth listening to," Victoria LaCivita, communications director for the Trump campaign in Michigan, said in a statement to the News.
Upton was a onetime chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. His endorsement for Harris in battleground Michigan comes less than two weeks before the election. He told the News he's open to campaigning for Harris, too.
"I’m convinced that those of us who are willing to stand up now will be at the table as we try to chart a path to resolve these issues," he told the News. "They are too important to ignore. ... At some point, the country has to come ahead of party, and that’s what this is all about."