President Joe Biden is actively courting disenchanted Republicans who do not support Donald Trump, the GOP’s standard-bearer, in the upcoming November election, a Biden campaign official revealed on Thursday.

In a strategic move, the Democratic president’s campaign has enlisted the services of Austin Weatherford, a former chief of staff to Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, known for his vocal criticism of Trump, the official confirmed.

Weatherford’s role is to spearhead outreach initiatives targeting independents and moderate Republicans who recognize the threat posed by Trump’s potential re-election, the official stated.

Recent polling by Reuters/Ipsos suggests that Biden and Trump are locked in a closer contest for the White House compared to 2020. Notably, Biden’s support among voters without a four-year degree has dipped by 10 percentage points from the same period in 2020.

National opinion polls indicate a neck-and-neck race between the two candidates.

Trump has routinely derided dissenting members of his party as “RINOs” (Republicans in Name Only), viewing them as disloyal. However, the Trump campaign declined to comment on the Biden campaign’s outreach efforts.

Both the Biden and Trump campaigns have intensified efforts to court supporters of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who withdrew from the Republican primary race in March. Despite initially withholding her endorsement of Trump, Haley later announced her intention to vote for him.

The Biden campaign has engaged with Haley supporters through meetings and plans to launch a “seven-figure ad buy” targeting this demographic, the official disclosed. While it’s uncommon for significant numbers of Republicans to defect and support a Democrat in a presidential election, the Biden campaign is actively pursuing this strategy.

Meanwhile, Trump is focusing on fundraising in liberal San Francisco, aiming to attract venture capital funds from individuals disillusioned by Biden’s liberal policies.

During this election cycle, the Republican Party has rallied around Trump despite his repeated false claims of victory in the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot instigated by his supporters.

Kinzinger and Representative Liz Cheney were the sole Republicans to join the House Jan. 6 select committee investigating the Capitol attack, a move that resulted in their subsequent censure by the party.