In a bold announcement, Miles Bruner, a senior strategist who has spent over a decade advising and fundraising for Republicans, publicly declared that he is leaving the GOP. Bruner, who served as a senior fundraising strategist at Campaign Solutions, a leading Republican digital fundraising firm, shared his decision in a column for The Bulwark on Monday, where he criticized the party’s current state and urged others to follow his lead.
“I quit the Republican Party and my job as an accomplice,” Bruner wrote, signaling his break with the party. He reflected on how the GOP has evolved, stating, “Since Donald Trump descended that golden escalator in 2015, the Republican Party has devolved into a cult of personality that mirrors the worst authoritarian regimes of the last 100 years.”
Bruner also called out the increasing corruption within the party, blaming Trump and his supporters in Congress for pushing the GOP towards what he called “despotism.” Bruner explained that while he didn’t believe his departure would “shake the GOP to its core,” he could no longer justify his involvement.
He admitted, “I worked inside GOP circles through Trump’s takeover of the party, his initial downfall, and his resurgence in 2023–2024. At every step along the way, I rationalized, compartmentalized, and found excuses to stay tethered to the party, even as I grew to believe it was undermining the foundations of our constitutional republic.”
In his column, Bruner expressed personal guilt for staying in the GOP for so long, acknowledging that no excuse could justify his past actions. “I’m fully aware that any excuses at this point won’t justify why I stayed so long and will only sound like thin attempts at rationalization to alleviate my personal guilt,” he wrote.
His message wasn’t about seeking absolution, but rather about shining a light on the way individuals like him contributed to the degradation of politics. Bruner also urged his former colleagues to reconsider their positions within the GOP.
“For those who remain and who harbor doubts about what the Republican Party has become, this is my message to you: I know the thought of walking away from your career and your familiar social network is terrifying,” he said. “But it’s not too late to change direction. If you believe in this country, now is the time to refuse to ferry its destruction for a tainted livelihood. Take a stand. Speak out.”