US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about reproductive rights at a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 20, 2024.
- Three former chairs of the Maine Republican Party "enthusiastically endorsed" Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president in an opinion piece published by Bangor Daily News.
- They opposed Republican nominee Donald Trump's proposed tax and trade policies, what they called his divisive rhetoric, and his refusal to say that Ukraine should prevail in its campaign to expel Russian invasion forces.
- The former chairs also took a jab at the Republican party in their letter, claiming that much of the leadership of the party "has joined the cult of Trump."
Three former chairs of the Maine Republican Party "enthusiastically endorsed" Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president over GOP nominee and former President Donald Trump in an opinion piece published by Bangor Daily News on Monday.
"We led our party at a time when candidates of both parties were not only civil and believed in the rule of law, but, we believe, had the best interests of the state and entire nation foremost in their hearts, even when we disagreed on policies," wrote Robert A.G. Monks, Ken Cole and Ted O'Meara.
"We see these same positive characteristics are on full display in Vice President Harris and her candidacy. Sadly, they are completely lacking in her opponent," they wrote.
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Monks, Cole and O'Meara criticized the former president's divisive rhetoric, praising in contrast Harris' commitment to become "a president for all Americans, regardless of political party."
If elected, Harris has said she would like to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet.
The trio claimed that Trump's tax and trade policies, which include a threat to impose a 100% tariff on imports from countries that "leave" the U.S. dollar, will "hurt Maine workers."
They also criticized Trump's ambivalence towards the war in Ukraine. Trump was asked several times at the recent presidential debate in Philadelphia whether it was in the best interests of the United States for Ukraine to fully expel invading Russian forces. He answered by insisting that he wanted the war to stop, but refused to fully endorse Ukraine's sovereignty.
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"We believe another Trump presidency would make our world a far more dangerous place," the former chairs wrote.
A spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the op-ed.
Additionally, the former chairs took a jab at the broader Republican party in their letter, claiming that much of the leadership of the party "has joined the cult of Trump."
"Each of us has had the honor of traveling the state of Maine to recruit and support candidates and to talk about the values that a big-tent Republican Party once stood for. Trump's MAGA Republican Party is unrecognizable to us," the former chairs wrote.
Both Cole and O'Meara chaired the Maine Republican Party in the 1990s. Monks ran for Senate in 1996, but lost the GOP primary to Susan Collins, who won the general election and has held her seat since then, as Maine's longest-serving member of Congress. He was also one of the leaders of a "Maine Republicans for Obama" campaign group in the 2008 presidential election.
A growing number of Republicans have come out in support of Harris' bid for president in the past month. On Sunday, a bipartisan group of 741 former military and national security officials publicly endorsed Harris. In a separate letter, 111 Republican former national security and foreign policy officials endorsed Harris last week, calling Trump "unfit" to serve as Commander-in-Chief.
In an effort to take advantage of this small but vocal opposition in the GOP ranks, the Harris campaign launched "Republicans for Harris" in August. Since then, Harris has secured a series of endorsements from GOP figures including, notably, former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served in the George W. Bush administration.
