More than 200 staffers for four previous Republican presidential nominees have endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris’ White House bid, cautioning that the notion of a second term for GOP nominee Donald Trump is “simply untenable” and “will hurt real, everyday people.”
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- More than 200 staffers from previous Republican presidential administrations have endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris’ White House bid, stating that a second term for GOP nominee Donald Trump is “simply untenable” and would harm “real, everyday people.”
- The open letter, signed by 238 individuals who worked for former President George H.W. Bush, former President George W. Bush, former Arizona Sen. John McCain, and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, urges moderate Republicans and conservative independents to support Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, over Trump and his vice-presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.
- The letter acknowledges ideological disagreements with Harris and Walz but argues that the alternative, Trump, is far worse.
- Signatories include Reed Galen, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, and Olivia Troye, former homeland security adviser to Mike Pence, among others, with roles ranging from chief of staff to intern.
- The letter warns that another four years of Trump’s leadership, especially with a focus on advancing Project 2025, would harm people and weaken democratic institutions, while Trump and Vance would support dictators like Vladimir Putin and neglect U.S. allies.
- Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed the letter, saying that nobody knows who these people are and accusing them of preferring to see the country “burn down” rather than see Trump return to the White House.
- Attracting cross-party support has become a tactic for both Trump and Harris as Election Day nears, with prominent Republicans endorsing both candidates.
- In recent days, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, both of whom have previously run as Democrats, have endorsed Trump and were added to the Trump-Vance transition team.
The Associated Press has the story:
More than 200 GOP Ex-presidential staffers sign open letter endorsing Harris over Trump
Newslooks- (AP)
More than 200 staffers for four previous Republican presidential nominees have endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris’ White House bid, cautioning that the notion of a second term for GOP nominee Donald Trump is “simply untenable” and “will hurt real, everyday people.”
In an open letter, first written about on Monday by USA Today, 238 people who worked for former President George H.W. Bush, former President George W. Bush, former Arizona Sen. John McCain and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney call on their fellow “moderate Republicans and conservative independents” to join them in backing Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, over Trump and his vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.
“Of course, we have plenty of honest, ideological disagreements with Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz,” the Republicans wrote, noting the significance of a handful of battleground states that proved crucial to Democrat Joe Biden’s slim margin of victory in 2020. “That’s to be expected. The alternative, however, is simply untenable.”
Signatories include Reed Galen, a George W. Bush and McCain campaign alum who co-founded the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, and Olivia Troye, a former George W. Bush staffer and homeland security adviser to Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence. The range of jobs represented runs the gamut from chief of staff to intern.
“Another four years of Donald Trump’s chaotic leadership,” the signatories warn, “this time focused on advancing the dangerous goals of Project 2025, will hurt real, everyday people and weaken our sacred institutions.” The letter goes on to warn that “broad, democratic movements will be irreparably jeopardized as Trump and his acolyte JD Vance kowtow to dictators like Vladimir Putin while turning their backs on our allies.”
In a statement, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the letter “hilarious because nobody knows who these people are.”
“They would rather see the country burn down than to see President Trump successfully return to the White House to Make America Great Again,” Cheung added.
Many of the same signatories also issued a letter in 2020 supporting Biden’s candidacy over Trump.
Attracting backing from the other side of the political aisle has become a tactic for both Trump and Harris as Election Day draws near. Several Republicans, including Mesa, Arizona, Mayor John Giles, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham spoke in favor of Harris at last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
In recent days, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who ran in the Democratic presidential primary before switching to an independent bid — and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who sought Democrats’ 2020 nomination before leaving the party, have endorsed Trump. On Tuesday, Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes said both had been added to the Trump-Vance transition team.
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