A slew of prominent Republicans are backing Biden
A number of prominent Republicans have endorsed Joe Biden's presidential bid, handing the former vice president potentially useful support as he looks to win over dissatisfied members of the party.
Among the list of GOP supporters are several figures who spoke during the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, making the case that Biden can usher in a new era of political unity following four years of President Donald Trump.
While the endorsements offer a symbolic boost to Biden as he seeks to win over persuadable voters, Trump is still overwhelmingly popular among Republicans.
Here are some of the high-profile Republicans who have endorsed Biden:
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich
Kasich, who served for eight years as Ohio's governor and was a candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016, has turned into a prominent voice of the party's "Never Trump" movement. Among the Republicans featured at the Democratic convention, he was given the longest amount of speaking time, using the moment to call on fellow Republicans to vote for Biden.
"I'm sure there are Republicans and independents who couldn't imagine crossing over to support a Democrat," he said on Monday. "They fear Joe may turn sharp left and leave them behind. I don't believe that because I know the measure of the man. It's reasonable, faithful, respectful, and, you know, no one pushes Joe around."
Former New Jersey Republican Gov. Christine Todd Whitman
Whitman served as New Jersey's governor before being tapped by President George W. Bush in 2001 to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Speaking briefly during the convention on Monday, she said the election "isn't about a Republican or Democrat. It's about a person: a person decent enough, stable enough, strong enough to get our economy back on track; a person who can work with everyone, Democrats and Republicans, to get things done."
"Donald Trump isn't that person; Joe Biden is," Whitman said.
Former Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman
Whitman unsuccessfully ran for governor as a Republican in California in 2010, but backed Hillary Clinton's presidential bid in 2016.
"I'm a longtime Republican and a longtime CEO," Whitman, who is the current CEO of Quibi, said during the convention. "And let me tell you, Donald Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy."
Former New York Republican Rep. Susan Molinari
Molinari, who represented New York from 1990 to 1997 before resigning her seat for a career in journalism, also spoke briefly during the convention on Monday, saying Biden is "exactly what this nation needs at this time."
Former senior Trump administration official Miles Taylor
Taylor, who served as chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, became one of the highest-ranking former Trump administration officials to endorse Biden when he made a surprise announcement Monday afternoon in support of the former vice president.
"Given what I have experienced in the administration, I have to support Joe Biden for president and even though I am not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I'm confident that Joe Biden will protect the country and I'm confident that he won't make the same mistakes as this President," Taylor said in a video produced by the group Republican Voters Against Trump in which he also made several allegations about Trump's conduct.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell
Powell, a longtime Republican who served as secretary of state under Bush, told CNN in June that he'll vote for Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
"I certainly cannot in any way support President Trump this year," Powell said, adding that he couldn't bring himself to vote for Trump four years ago either.
Powell endorsed former President Barack Obama in the 2008 election.
The Lincoln Project
The anti-Trump group is led by several high-profile Republicans, including John Weaver, Rick Wilson, Reed Galen and George Conway, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway.
The group has endorsed Biden and is primarily known for a series of ads that attack Trump on a number of fronts. The President has labeled the group the "Losers Project" and called its founders Republicans in name only.
Former Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent
Dent, who resigned from the House in 2018, served as chairman of the House Ethics Committee from 2015 until 2016 and chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies from 2015 until 2018.
In a CNN Op-Ed published Wednesday, Dent torches Trump as an "illiberal populist and nativist whose chaotic approach and managerial malfeasance have undermined the functioning of government."
Americans, Dent wrote, "are exhausted by the never-ending chaos and daily drama emanating from the White House. They just want stability."
"That's why I'm supporting Joe Biden. It's as simple as that. And if electing Joe Biden is what's needed to return the GOP to a better place where it becomes more socially tolerant, constructively engaged on the international stage and supportive of reasonably regulated free markets, all the better."
Dent is a CNN political commentator.
Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel
Hagel was a Republican senator from Nebraska before he was tapped by former President Barack Obama to serve as his defense secretary.
Hagel endorsed Biden for president in an interview with CNN in March, and appeared in a video during the second night of the convention alongside other national security experts touting Biden's foreign policy experience.
US veteran Edward Good
World War II and Korean War veteran Edward Good, 95, denounced Trump and called on the country to vote for Biden.
"I have been a Republican since the 1960s. I'm a member of the NRA, and I voted for Trump," Good said in a video message played on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. "I think Trump has been the worst president we've ever had. So I'll be glad to see him go."
Good said that "Biden will be a great leader for the United States."
"Like me, on the day of my jump into Germany, I think Joe Biden cares about doing his proper duty for the United States. And if elected, that's what he would do," he added.
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen
Cohen represented Maine in both the US Senate and House of Representatives as a Republican before serving as secretary of defense during the final years of the Clinton administration.
Cohen announced his support for Biden in a statement in which he blamed the US' coronavirus death toll on "poor management and failed leadership."
"I'm voting for Joe Biden because our democracy is at stake," he said in the announcement. "We are in serious need of a leader with optimism and competence who gives us hope. Joe Biden is that leader."
Former Republican national security officials for Biden
More than 70 former national security officials from multiple Republican administrations along with former Republican members of Congress announced their endorsement the day Biden officially accepted the Democratic nomination.
The group, Former Republican National Security Officials for Biden, includes former NSA and CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden, former Deputy Secretary of State and Director of National Intelligence Amb. John Negroponte, former CIA and FBI Director William Webster, and former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff under President Trump, Miles Taylor.
They penned a 10-point letter explaining the rationale behind their endorsement, saying Trump has "gravely damaged America's role as a world leader," "shown he is unfit to lead during a national crisis," and "solicited foreign influence and undermined confidence in our presidential elections."
"Republicans for Biden"
On the first day of the Republican National Convention, more than 20 former Republican lawmakers announced they were supporting the former vice president. Along with Dent and Molinari, former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake announced his support, along with the following former office-holders:
- New Hampshire Sen. Gordon Humphrey
- Virginia Sen. John Warner
- Texas Rep. Steve Bartlett
- Pennsylvania Rep. Bill Clinger
- Missouri Rep. Tom Coleman
- Hawaii Rep. Charles Djou
- Oklahoma Rep. Mickey Edwards
- Maryland Rep. Wayne Gilchrest
- Pennsylvania Rep. Jim Greenwood
- South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis
- Arizona Rep. Jim Kolbe
- California Rep. Steve Kuykendall
- Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood
- Iowa Rep. Jim Leach
- Maryland Rep. Connie Morella
- Mississippi Rep. Mike Parker
- New York Rep. Jack Quinn
- Rhode Island Rep. Claudine Schneider
- Connecticut Rep. Christopher Shays
- Vermont Rep. Peter Smith
- Texas Rep. Alan Steelman
- New York Rep. Jim Walsh
- Virginia Rep. Bill Whitehurst
- New Jersey Rep. Dick Zimmer
43 Alumni for Biden
Launched in July by former George W. Bush administration and campaign officials, the super PAC includes more than 225 administration officials and at least 152 alumni who are backing Biden. Former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez will serve as the group's national chairman and former Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman is also among those who publicly announced support for Biden.
Romney 4 Biden
More than 30 former staff members and state directors from Utah Sen. Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign are supporting Biden.
"With over 175,000 Americans dead from COVID-19, tens of millions unemployed, and 80 percent of voters convinced that the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction, we desperately need a president that's laser-focused on putting the nation's needs ahead of his own," the group said in a statement, noting that some of them voted for Trump and others never supported the President.
By Devan Cole, CNN via The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
The Gayly. 8/27/2020 @ 10:17 a.m. CST.