Republicans for Kamala Harris!
The steady stream of prominent Republicans publicly endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket for the upcoming presidential election continues apace. This time, the support comes from several former staffers from the Ronald Reagan administration. In an open letter on Sunday, these ex-Reagan aides highlight their deep concerns about the direction of the GOP under Donald Trump and voice their support for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz as the leaders America needs.
The letter emphasizes what more Republicans are admitting, which is that Trump’s leadership has steered the Republican Party away from the values Reagan stood for, promoting disunity and disrespect for democratic institutions. “Our votes in this election are less about supporting the Democratic Party and more about our resounding support for democracy,” the staffers wrote. They called the Harris-Walz ticket “the only path forward toward an America that is strong and viable for our children and grandchildren for years to come.”
This endorsement is the latest in a growing trend of high-profile Republicans distancing themselves from Trump while lighting the way for fellow party members to vote for Harris, as I wrote recently. The former Reagan staffers sharply contrast the choice of Harris versus Trump, calling it a “choice between truth and lies,” “freedom and suppression of freedoms,” and “serving the people and serving the few.”
This letter from former Reagan staffers is welcome as well as ironic, given Trump’s bizarre and desperate attempts to align himself with Reagan or portray himself as a better President. In 2019, for example, Trump retweeted a fake Reagan quote, which falsely claimed that, upon meeting Trump, Reagan exclaimed, “I felt like I was the one shaking hands with a President.” A year earlier, Trump complained, “People would say I’m far greater than Ronald Reagan if my name weren’t Trump” and that he would “blow Ronald Reagan away.”
This latest endorsement shows that many in Reagan’s inner circle feel otherwise. As November 5 approaches, the Harris-Walz ticket continues to gain momentum not just among Democrats and Independents, but from disgruntled Republicans who love America and no longer recognize their own party. The cracks in the GOP’s foundation are widening every day, paving the way for Democrats and democracy to prevail.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month