Shawn Reilly, the mayor of the Republican stronghold of Waukesha, Wisconsin, said Wednesday he will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris , adding he is terrified of the alternative should former President Donald Trump win in November.

Reilly has been the mayor of Waukesha, a city about 15 miles from Milwaukee, since 2014 and had been a longtime Republican. But he left the party and became an independent in 2021 after the events on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.

He told Fox 6 Milwaukee and The New York Times Wednesday night he found the decision to publicly support Harris difficult, but called his choice a vote against Trump.

The easy thing to do is just not say anything and cast my vote the way I want, but I think were at a crossroads now, Reilly told Fox 6. I feel in my heart that this is something that I need to come out and say: I am going to be voting for Vice President Harris to become our next president.

He went on to tell the Times that he was very afraid of the direction our country will head in if Donald Trump becomes president.

I think well be heading down a road of authoritarianism and fascism, Reilly said, noting he should have endorsed Harris sooner but its one of those things where Id much rather do it now, even if it doesnt have as much of an effect.