Michigan congressman Paul Mitchell leaves Republican Party over its refusal to accept Biden’s win Updated Dec 14, 2020; Facebook Share U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell has left the Republican Party over its refusal to accept President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper Monday, shortly after Michigan’s electors formally cast their votes for Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris, Mitchell said he can no longer be associated with a party that does not recognize the election result. Mitchell did not seek reelection and will serve the remainder of his short time in Congress as an independent.