Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT)

RVAT was created by political consultants Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller and longtime conservative commentator Bill Kristol. Longwell has also worked with the anti-Trump groups Defending Democracy Together and Republicans for the Rule of Law. ²

2020 Election Cycle

In May 2020, Republican Voters Against Trump announced its intentions to spend $10 million in the 2020 election cycle. Much of RVAT’s expenditure was directed toward the production and advertisement of over 1,000 homemade testimonials from ordinary Republican voters opposing then-President Donald Trump collected over the previous three years. Ads were targeted in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona. ^{3 4}

In the 2020 election cycle, RVAT reported raising and spending over $10 million. ⁵ All spending was either for Democrats or against Republicans.⁶ Almost $6.8 million was raised from Defending Democracy Together. Other major contributors included former New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg ($500,000) and people who reported on FEC disclosures that they were employed by Geolo Capital ($500,000), Jane Street Capital ($260,000), Sword and Spoon Group ($200,000), Oaktree Capital Management ($130,000), and SV Angel LLC ($125,000). ⁷

In 2020, RVAT’s largest expenditure category was over $8.1 million for “unspecified media buys.” The largest vendor was Political Communications Advertising, to which RVAT paid $8.3 million. Defending Democracy Together was a major vendor, to which RVAT paid $200,000, as well as A4 Media, which was paid $550,000. Longwell Partners was paid almost $88,000. ⁸

2022 Election Cycle

In 2022, political consultant Sarah Longwell launched the Republican Accountability PAC to conduct campaigns similar to those conducted by Republican Voters Against Trump to support anti-Trump Republicans in the mid-term elections. The group supported then-U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and opposed Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano (R). Longwell has called these campaigns “a version” of RVAT at smaller scales. ^{9 2}

2024 Election Cycle

In March 2024, Republican Voters Against Trump announced that it planned to spend $50 million in the 2024 election cycle, mostly through homemade testimonials by Republican voters who oppose former President Donald Trump. Every testimonial is from a Republican who previously voted for former President Trump. Many of the testimonials focused on the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Trump. ^{4 2}

The testimonials are anti-Trump, but do not voice support for President Joe Biden. However, in an interview, Sarah Longwell stated that one of the targeted constituencies for the campaign is “double-doubters,” or individuals who are opposed to both former President Trump and President Joe Biden, with the intention of encouraging these voters to cast their vote for President Biden. ²

As of March 2024, RVAT had $20 million committed to its election campaign. ⁴

Also in March 2024, RVAT launched a campaign highlighting former Vice President Mike Pence’s decision not to endorse former President Trump in the 2024 presidential election. ¹⁰

Leadership

The New York Times characterized Republican Voters Against Trump as the “brainchild” of political consultant Sarah Longwell, conservative writer Bill Kristol, and Tim Miller, a former aide to former Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL). ³

Longwell is a political consultant notable for her opposition to President Donald Trump. She is the president and chief executive officer of Longwell Partners, a political consulting firm. Longwell also co-founded Defending Democracy Together (which shares office space with Longwell Partners ¹¹) and was a spokesperson for Republicans for the Rule of Law. She is a former national board chair of the Log Cabin Republicans. ¹²

Patrick Stoltzfus is listed as RVAT’s treasurer in FEC filings. ⁵ Since December 2022, Stoltzfus has worked at Longwell Partners as executive vice president of finance and administration. Stoltzfus previously worked at Tate and Tryon as an auditor. ¹³