POLITICS
Growing list of Republicans supporting Kamala Harris: What GOP members oppose Donald Trump?
Kamala Harris’ assumption of the Democrat ticket is inviting plenty of Republican support that is disgruntled with the current party.
Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris can count on the support of a number of Republican turncoats in her bid to become the first female president and stop Donald Trump from being reelected.
200 Republicans who were affiliated with President George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, and John McCain issued an open letter endorsing Harris.
“Of course, we have plenty of honest, ideological disagreements with Vice President Harris and Gov Walz. That’s to be expected. The alternative, however, is simply untenable,” the letter said.
“At home, another four years of Donald Trump’s chaotic leadership, this time focused on advancing the dangerous goals of Project 2025, will hurt real, everyday people and weaken our sacred institutions. Abroad, 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. We can’t let that happen.”
Other names who have openly supported Kamala Harris
- Stephanie Grisham, who served as White House press secretary to Trump
- Adam Kinzinger, the former congressman spoke at the DNC in August.
- Jean Becker, President George HW Bush’s chief of staff
- David Nierenberg, the campaign finance chair for Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign
What does this mean for the election?
It is not surprising that Donald Trump remains a divisive candidate for many Republicans. Compared to the 2016 election there is little doubt that Trump’s hold on the GOP has only strengthened; many of those coming out against him this year are but a few unconverted to the Trump train.
Whether the call to arms from disgruntled polticians will lead to significant voter movement is difficult to ascertain. Polling conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies suggests that in all but one swing state the amount of voters unsure of where to cast their ballot would be enough to overhaul any voting lead.
“[Republicans supporting Harris publicly] matters because these are people, many of them, who’ve worked closely with Trump in the White House and they’ve seen up close how incompetent he is and how unsuited he is for the presidency,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s center for politics. “It’s critical to get these people on the record.”
There is the potential for a late upset but it is difficult to say if the Republican opposition will be the catalyst to push those voters toward Harris and the Democrats.