More than 100 staffers who worked for the Republican Party’s three previous presidential nominees are revealing who they are planning on voting for in the November general election.
As the Republican National Convention is underway, former Republican officials who worked for former President George W. Bush, and the two previous Republican presidential nominees John McCain, and Mitt Romney are announcing their support for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Roughly two dozen former Bush officials and campaign staffers wrote in a letter obtained by Politico, “We are a group who served in George W. Bush’s administration. We have seen the importance of leadership up close, and we know Joe Biden is the choice we need to make in November.”
“Character matters in our leaders. Joe Biden has proven himself over years of public service. We have seen him respectfully reach across the aisle, consider a different point of view, and make a thoughtful decision to benefit the nation,” they said.
They continued to call Biden “courageous” and someone who will “have a plan to guide us through this difficult time.”
The letter also blasted Trump’s leadership, “As a nation, have struggled with truth. Conspiracy theories have been legitimized, and facts have been dismissed. The expertise of world-renowned scientists and physicians have been sidelined while the opinions of pundits have been embraced. Meanwhile, more than 170,000 Americans are dead due to this mismanaged crisis.”
“As a nation, we have lost our moral compass. Children should never be separated from their parents and caged for seeking asylum in the US. It is cruel and inhumane. We need to get back to basics: facts matter, there is right and wrong. We can do that with Joe Biden in the Oval Office,” they added.
In a separate open-letter, more than 100 staffers who worked for McCain — the 2008 at nominee — said, “Working for John McCain was an honor, and his example of public service remains a lasting influence on us. His motto, ‘country first,’ and his frequent call on Americans to serve causes greater than our self-interest were not empty slogans like so much of our politics today.”
“It is in that spirit that we are supporting his friend, Joe Biden,” they added.
The staffers, who banded together and dubbed themselves “McCain Alums for Biden,” said they believe Biden will “lead an urgent, comprehensive national effort to contain the COVID pandemic” and “call on Americans to remember our common interests and responsibilities.”
The letter continued to blast Trump for his “lack of competent leadership, his efforts to aggravate rather than bridge divisions among Americans, and his failure to uphold American values.”
And in a third-letter, “Romney Alumni for Biden” staffers wrote, “We desperately need a president that’s laser-focused on putting the nation’s needs ahead of his own.”
“That’s why we’re proud to announce that we’re voting for Vice President Biden—a man we once worked to defeat—this November,” they added.
The staffers said they believe a second Trump term would “morally bankrupt this country, irreparably damage our democracy, and permanently transform the Republican Party into a toxic personality cult.”
They blasted Trump’s “erratic, inept, self-absorbed governing style” and praised Biden as the “type of tested leader this moment demands.”
“Of course, we don’t agree with Joe Biden on every policy. That’s OK. The differences in our political perspectives come from places of honest disagreement and genuine concern. That’s the beauty of America,” they added.
Earlier this week, former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and other former Republican lawmakers also declared their support for Biden, as IJR reported.
