Vote like the future of our country depends on it. These Republicans think it does, and I believe them.
The 2020 presidential election is not a choice between a Democrat and a Republican. It is a choice between a human being who cares about our citizens in Joe Biden and an existential threat to our country in Donald Trump. Please don’t take my word for it. Listen to all of these Republican leaders, lifelong GOP members, and self-identified conservatives who have endorsed Biden or decided to write in a candidate…not out of agreement with Biden’s policies but because of their palpable understanding of the damage a second Trump presidential term would inflict on the United States of America:
Vote your conscience. Vote like the future of our country depends on it. These Republicans think it does, and I believe them.
-John Kasich
-Four Republican cabinet secretaries: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and EPA Director Christine Whitman
-Former Homeland Security Department Chief of Staff Miles Taylor
-Carly Fiorina
-Four former Republican Senators: David Durenberger of Minnesota, Gordon J. Humphrey of New Hampshire (both independents now), John Warner of Virginia, Jeff Flake of Arizona
-Former Rep. Susan Molinari of New York, Rep. Charles Djou of Hawaii, and Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois, a former tea partier
-Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain
-The last living former Republican president, George W. Bush, has said he won’t back Trump. Nor will his brother Jeb Bush
-Trump’s former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly have both expressed opposition to Trump
-Former Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania
-A group of 73 former U.S. national security officials in Republican administrations, including former heads of the CIA and FBI and Trump administration officials joined in October by another 50 former officials
-Former Trump Assistant Director of Homeland Security Elizabeth Neumann
-Anthony Scaramucci
-27 former GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Bob Inglis of South Carolina, Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona, Rep. Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania, Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa and Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma
-Republican Senator and Clinton Defense Secretary Bill Cohen
-Group of over 100 McCain 2008 and 30 Romney 2012 campaign staffers endorsed Biden, in addition to a group of nearly two dozen George W. Bush campaign and administration staffers
-100 prominent Republicans and independents, including Todd Whitman, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld
-Six Republican former state attorneys general including Greg Zoeller of Indiana, Mark Shurtleff of Utah, Jim Jones of Idaho, Doug Baily of Alaska, Jeff Amestoy of Vermont and Jeff Pine of Rhode Island
-Olivia Troye, a former Pence aide and White House coronavirus task force member
-Former Pennsylvania Gov. and Bush Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge
-Retired Adm. William McRaven, the former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command
-Former RNC Chair and Maryland Lieutenant Gov. Michael Steele
-Five lawyers from the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and Mike Fasano, a Republican former majority leader of the Florida House of Representatives and former Commerce Sec. Carlos Gutierrez, who served under George W. Bush
-20 former U.S. Attorneys under Republican presidents going back to Dwight Eisenhower — including Donald Ayer, who served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada under Trump
-Nebraska State Sen. John McCollister became one of the few sitting Republican officials to publicly back Biden
-Other ex-Trump officials have spoken out against him as well, including Homeland Security advisor Tom Bossert, communications staffer Omarosa Manigault, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security advisor John Bolton
-Five sitting Republican senators are weighing voting against Trump, according to Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has said he will not vote for Trump and may write-in his wife, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she is “struggling” with the decision. Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) has also said he will not vote for Trump and is considering a vote for Biden.
-The New Hampshire Union Leader, a conservative-leaning newspaper, endorsed Joe Biden for president, despite its century-long history of backing Republicans.
Patriotism comes in many forms. Read and listen to these dedicated Americans — many of whom I disagree with on a number of social and economic topics — in their own words about why they cannot stand by and risk Donald Trump eroding the fundamental structures for our democracy. That doesn’t make every Republican bad or the wrong person to vote for if their values align with yours. It doesn’t mean that you need to vote the straight Democratic ticket. But when John McCain (before his passing and his family in his absence), John Kasich, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Jeff Flake, Carly Fiorina, Michael Steele, and countless others actively line up in opposition to the head of their own party because his actions are so aberrant and dangerous, it should give you pause about if that person is fit for office.
If you have not already done so, vote. Vote your conscience. Vote like the future of our country depends on it. These Republicans think it does, and I believe them.
