Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) announced on Thursday that he created a new political action committee to support candidates who possess the “courage” to stand up against the Trump administration and protect Democratic institutions.
Back the Bold, the official name of the PAC, is aimed at elevating Democratic and independent candidates who challenge the Trump administration. It is part of his efforts to flip House and Senate seats from, as Kinzinger describes them, Republican “enablers.”
“Today we’re watching the rule of law bent to the will of one man because too few leaders are wanting to stand up and say ‘enough,’” Kinzinger said in a video. “So what do we do about it? We back the bold. Today I’m launching Back The Bold PAC to restore accountability in Washington.”
Despite Kinzinger’s Republican affiliation, he said the PAC would support Democrats. The video featured photos of Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), and Janelle Stelson.
Kinzinger slammed Republicans for remaining loyal to President Donald Trump in the announcement, arguing America needs leaders who put them first, an attribute his PAC will seek when supporting candidates.
“And yes, that means back Democrats willing to take on Republicans who put loyalty to Donald Trump ahead of loyalty to America,” Kinzinger said. “We need to make sure the politicians who enable Trump and his chaos never hold office again.”
“If they won’t stand up for our democracy, then we’ll find leaders who will,” he added.
But Kinzinger did not mention supporting Republican candidates in either the promotional video or Substack post announcement. Kinzinger said the PAC would support independents and Democrats who “refuse to flinch.”
Kinzinger showed willingness to support non-Republican candidates when he endorsed former President Joe Biden in the 2024 election instead of Trump, before Biden dropped out. In 2020, Kinzinger notably voted for Trump.
“While I certainly don’t agree with President Biden on everything, and I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for president, I know that he will always protect the very thing that makes America the best country in the world: our democracy,” Kinzinger said when he endorsed Biden.
Kinzinger represented Illinois’s 11th and 16th congressional districts in Congress for 12 years, but decided not to seek reelection after he voted to impeach Trump over the January 6th attack.
The former congressman served as one of two Republicans on the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the January 6th attack. Kinzinger criticized Trump for failing to uphold his oath to the U.S. Constitution.
Since leaving politics, Kinzinger has continued to be a vocal critic of Trump on CNN and through his Substack, which has over 470,000 subscribers.
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In Kinzinger’s Substack post, the former congressman described the PAC as another “weapon” to hold the president accountable.
“We’ve built this Substack community together. Here, we cut through the noise. We call it as it is. We don’t bend to political pressure or reframe the truth to suit whoever is in power. That doesn’t change. We will continue to build,” Kinzinger said. “Back the Bold simply gives us another weapon — another way to fight from the inside out.”