Former President George W. Bush’s ethics lawyer, Richard Painter, announced Monday he will run as a Democrat for ousted Democratic Minnesota Sen. Al Franken’s seat.
Painter has made a name for himself during television interviews over the past year as an opponent of President Trump. During the announcement, Painter said he could not be part of a party in which he would not be allowed to critique the top GOP official.
“Republicans insist that if you’re going to run for political office, you have to be loyal to President Trump,” Painter said during a press conference Monday.
“I tried to salvage the situation with the Republican Party for a long time. … We’ve had for decades a departure from the fundamental values of the Republican Party and from America,” he added. “This is wrong. This is not the America I want to live in. This is not the America I want my children to live in.”
Painter, 56, will be up against acting Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat who was appointed to the job in December following allegations against Franken of sexual harassment and assault.
Smith plans to run on the Democratic ballot. State Sen. Karin Housley is running for the Republican nomination.
