At the end of the movie, Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust, says, “I didn’t do enough…I could have done more.” In recent days, I keep asking myself the same question, “Could I have done more?” This isn’t in reference to saving lives; it refers to saving the life of our democracy.

How local Republicans responded

Through interviews and surveys, The Enquirer asked 70 Republican candidates in Greater Cincinnati this year about how they would characterize the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and whether they would support Trump if he were convicted.

Only 20 responded, with all but one reaffirming support for Trump and in some way defending his actions during the Jan. 6 attacks. The only one to condemn Trump, Symmes Township Republican Phil Heimlich, has been one of the region’s most vocal Republican Trump critics. The anti-Trump message got Heimlich 5% of the vote and a sixth-place finish out of 10 in the March GOP primary for Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District.

The minute Phil Heimlich decided to run as the anti-MAGA candidate in a Trump-loving district, his fate was sealed. He managed to get only 5% of the vote in the 2nd Congressional District GOP primary, good for a middle-of-the-pack finish, according to unofficial election results. He didn’t earn a seat in Congress, but he did earn my respect.

Heimlich, a former Cincinnati councilman and Hamilton County commissioner, cares about democracy. He is a rare-breed Republican these days who has the guts to speak out against Donald Trump’s lies, dangerous rhetoric and misdeeds. When Hamilton County’s GOP chairman was urging candidates to dodge an Enquirer survey about Trump and the January 6 Capitol riots, Heimlich happily answered the questions: The events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 were an insurrection, pure and simple; Trump should not hold office if convicted of the serious felonies with which he is charged; the 2020 election wasn’t stolen.

Those answers aren’t going to earn you many votes in Trump Country, but winning elections isn’t everything. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

If you paid any attention to Heimlich’s campaign, then you’d know his answer to that question too.

Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge can be reached at kaldridge@enquirer.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @kevaldrid. You can message him with any recommendations for handshakes or headshakes.

Out of 11 Republican candidates in Ohio’s 2nd U.S. House district primary, only Phil Heimlich has been willing to stand up for democracy

The reddest district in the state of Ohio could be poised to elect a non-MAGA candidate, former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said on Sunday.

Kinzinger, a frequent critic of Trump who is also known to blow up right-wing conspiracy theories on social media, said in his Substack that there are “some very important primary elections on Tuesday.”