‘We’re here to create a democracy together’: Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger gives keynote speech at Democracy Day

Former Republican representative of Illinois’s 11th district, Adam Kinzinger, highlighted the importance of defending democracy to Stanford students and faculty at Dinkelspiel Auditorium in his keynote speech at Stanford’s fifth annual Democracy Day on Tuesday. 

The event, moderated by former Democracy Day chair Jeannette Wang ’26, featured a discussion titled “Democracy Beyond Partisanship.” It was followed by a Q&A from the audience.

Wang began the discussion by asking Kinzinger about Jan. 6. 

Kinzinger — who served on the committee to investigate the attacks and has served in the Air Force — said, “I’ve been to war. This was something even beyond that.” He said that he felt like he might have had to fight his way out of the Capitol as rioters breached barricades.  

Kinzinger discussed his disdain with the Republican leadership for aligning with Trump following Jan. 6. “To this day I have not come to grips with the fact that people could be so cowardly, and in the face of clear and present danger to a country they’ve sworn an oath to,” he said.

Throughout his speech, Kinzinger reflected on his decision to stand against his party after Jan. 6. “I care about whether you defend democracy right now. If you do, you’re on my team,” he said.

In an interview with The Daily following the event, Kinzinger reflected on his sacrifices after Jan. 6th. He noted, “Decisions are tough, and you may not feel the rewards right away… But if I would have capitulated, how could I ever talk to my son about courage?”

Kinzinger, who endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, explained that democracy is not a partisan issue but something that depends on trust. When the trust is broken, “democracy can’t work,” he said, comparing the democratic system to a game of baseball, or something that only works when everyone respects the rules. 

“The fact that the president of the United States is immune from any action that he or she does while president is a complete announcement to what the founding fathers intended,” Kinzinger said. 

Kinzinger also discussed the current state of the Republican Party, expressing concerns about extremism. He called the GOP a shell of a party that could soon crumble and compared extremism in the party to cancer.

“If you embrace cancer into your body, your good cells don’t overwhelm the bad cells,” he said.

When asked whether politicians will do anything to stay in power, Kinzinger said, “You shouldn’t trust politicians. For many, this job becomes your identity… and losing that is harder than giving up your life.”

Reflecting on the event, “I really appreciated how broad the questions and conversation were,” Natasha Banga ’26 said.

Kinzinger also discussed his post-Congress work with Country First, an organization he described as focused on “creating dialogue with people.”

“[Centrism is about] being true to what you really believe outside of what you’re told to believe. Rejecting party labels,” he said. He urged students to “be passionate, be loud, be boisterous for what you actually believe” and advised them to connect to “where people’s hurt is” and offer real solutions.

Wang ended the discussion by asking Kinzinger what advice he has for young people in the room. Kinzinger encouraged self-reflection and authenticity. “Every one of you has damage… Find your weakness… embrace it,” he said.

After the speech, Adriana DeAngelo ’26 said that the discussion “was more bipartisan that I thought,” having “more emphasis on the fact that we’re here to create a democracy together.”

Nick Mendez ’29 said political beliefs in his home state of Idaho are all over the place. “[I was interested] to learn more about partisan beliefs and how people navigate through that,” he said.

After the event, Kinzinger also told The Daily that if students are to take one thing from the discussion, “it’s to take a deep breath, stay optimistic, figure out what you want to be, stay engaged in politics, and just enjoy the ride.”

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