NATIONWIDE — As the Republican National Convention wrapped its third day of programming, a large swath of former GOP leaders announced their support for presidential candidate Joe Biden.
In one letter released on Thursday, over 100 former staffers for the late Senator John McCain penned a letter explaining why they do not support incumbent President Donald Trump’s bid for reelection.
“We trust that as President, Joe Biden will lead an urgent, comprehensive national effort to contain the COVID pandemic,” the letter, published on a blog under the author McCain Alums For Joe Biden, read in part. “We trust he will call on Americans to remember our common interests and responsibilities, and not worsen the grievances that have polarized our politics. And we trust that he will defend American interests and values from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
“Given the incumbent president’s lack of competent leadership, his efforts to aggravate rather than bridge divisions among Americans, and his failure to uphold American values, we believe the election of former Vice President Biden is clearly in the national interest,” the letter continued.
The letter also called Biden a “friend” to the late Senator, as the two served in government alongside one another for decades.
Signatories on the letter include McCain staffers from across his 35 years in Congress, as well as employees from his 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns.
Some of the names on the letter are McCain’s United States Senate and 2008 Presidential Campaign Press Secretary Crystal Benton, Ret. USN Captain Scott Butler, United States Senate Staff Assistant Michelle Gramley Kauk, and many more.
The letter came shortly after the second anniversary of McCain’s death, and a little over a week after the late senator’s widow Cindy McCain narrated a video for the Democratic National Convention that detailed her husband’s years-long friendship with Joe Biden.
"It was a friendship that shouldn't have worked," Cindy said in the video. "John, a former Navy pilot just released from a North Vietnamese prison. Joe, a young senator from Delaware. But in the 1970s, Joe was assigned a military aide for a trip overseas."
The McCain camp is hardly the only group of GOP leaders who announced they will vote blue in the November presidential election.
In a similar announcement, many members of Senator Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign also penned a letter announcing their intent to vote for Joe 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 statement read in part. “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.
“What unites us now is a deep conviction that four more years of a Trump presidency will morally bankrupt this country, irreparably damage our democracy, and permanently transform the Republican Party into a toxic personality cult,” the letter continued.
Signatories on this letter include former Director of Scheduling Vicki Blanton and former Director for the Office of Ann Romney Erin Bradley, among several more.
In another surprising announcement, former members of President George W. Bush’s administration created a group titled “43 Alumni For Biden,” under which they released a statement in support of the former Vice President.
“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,” the statement, first obtained by Politico, read in part. “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. Joe Biden is courageous and will tell the American people what we are facing, but will also have a plan to guide us through this difficult time.”
Former Undersecretary for the Department of State Amb. James K. Glassman, former Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States Greg Jenkins, and former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin were among the prominent names included on the letter.
As the election season closes in on November 3, a number of former senators and representatives have also voiced their support for Biden. Former Reps. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania, Jim Leach of Iowa, Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Sen. John Warner of Virginia are among the former Republican lawmakers who have endorsed the former Vice President.