Former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., today cited his ranch roots as he endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidates for president and vice president.

In a video released by the Biden-Harris campaign, Flake said, “I was raised on a cattle ranch in Northern Arizona. Goldwater country. When I was a kid, the Republican Party under President Reagan was brimming with ideas, full of purpose and principle”

“It was coherent, and inspiring, and idealistic. So much so that it awakened the imagination of a kid from the town of Snowflake, and a whole generation of other kids just like him. Made us think big thoughts, and of our place in the world, and of what it meant to be an American in America, the shining city on a hill.”

Flake continued, “Can any of us stand here today and claim that our party has remained faithful to conservative principles during the president’s time in office? No, we cannot.

“If we are honest, there is less of a conservative case to be made for reelecting the president than there is a blatant appeal for more rank tribalism. And further division. And more willful amnesia in the face of more outlandish presidential behavior.

“I cannot and will not be a part of that. There simply is no future in it. To my fellow Republicans who, like me, believe in the power of conservative ideas — ask yourself: Will we be in a better position to make a conservative case for governing after four more years of this administration? I think we all know the answer.”

The Biden-Harris campaign also released a list of former Republican lawmakers who have endorsed Biden and Harris.