You don’t have be elected, or a Republican, to be demonized by the left, if you meet their other requirements.
no. . .you need only to tell the truth; more to the point; 'their truth', and have an audience.
Once a Lib tells the truth. ..should he experience an awakening, that is; he is no longer considered a member of the 'Left'.
He does not have to leave; his 'peers' have will have already colored him gone.