Republicans and Independents for Biden, a group assembled by The Lincoln Project, announced three dozen new members to its steering committee, including Cole Wist, who served as Assistant House Minority Leader in the 2017-18 legislative sessions.

The coalition now has more than 100 current and former Republican and Independent elected officials, government officials and political operatives who support Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Among its leaders: former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder; and Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and former lieutenant governor of Maryland. 

Current elected officials include Republican Rep. Gary Clary of the South Carolina House and Sen. John McCollister of the Nebraska legislature.

Wist earned the enmity of the GOP, including within the House, by sponsoring the 2018 version of the red flag law. He was ousted the following November by Democratic Rep. Tom Sullivan. Wist later spoke out against efforts by Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and others in the GOP to recall Sullivan in 2019, an effort that ended a month after it started.

Wist told Colorado Politics that he’s supporting Biden “and putting country before party. That’s what this coalition is all about.” 

Wist said he balanced several ideas in making his decision. This isn’t an “endorsement of the Democratic platform or Biden’s policies,” he said.

Wist said he balanced the risks of “four more years of chaos and division that would inevitably come” with a second Trump term with policies advanced by Biden that he doesn’t agree with. But those disagreements can be addressed through the political process and future elections, Wist said.

“Ultimately where I came out on this year’s election is that it’s important to restore decency and honesty in the way we conduct ourselves in government. Biden has always been a person of integrity and character. At this point in our country, that’s more important than policy.”

In a Q&A with Colorado Politics in March, Wist said he has no intention of leaving the Republican Party but spoke at length about his disagreements with President Donald Trump.

Calling himself a Reagan conservative, Wist said he does not regard Trump as a conservative, and “I believe he is damaging the Republican brand. Trump does not care about budget deficits, now in worse shape than under President Obama. Trump is not constrained by the rule of law as evidenced by his obstruction of the Mueller investigation on Russian election interference and his more recent efforts to solicit a foreign country to investigate political opponents. Trump does not believe in the constitutional principle of separation of powers. After ridiculing Obama’s executive orders, Trump has legislated by executive order at a dizzying clip, some 28 in 2019 alone. And Trump believes in broad and unchecked executive power, which is at odds with the intentions of our framers.”

Wist said Trump had abandoned enduring American principles such as “equality, dignity, truth, honesty, integrity, respect, humility and morality. Republicans would have at one time condemned this path that we are on and many did during the 2016 campaign. These timeless principles are still important, and they matter to me.”

This article has been updated with comments from Wist.