We are Former Republican Members of Congress who are voting for Kamala Harris – here’s why.
By Republican Former Reps. Claudine Schneider (RI), James Greenwood (PA), David Trott (MI), Mickey Edwards (OK), David Emery (ME), Charles Djou (HI, and John LeBoutillier (NY)
The answer is simple for why at least 34 former Republican Members of Congress are publicly supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Although it does bear mentioning that there are other former Republican elected officials who – for fear of their families, their businesses, and their jobs – are planning to vote for Harris but are not publicly stating it due to the violence that surrounds Donald Trump and his promises of retribution.
The short answer, however, for why we support her is the enormous contrast between the two presidential candidates.
Trump lies constantly and has been indicted for crimes 94 times and awaits sentencing for some of his crimes. He neither cares about people nor the nation and is better suited for selling gold hightops, pictures of himself, autographed Bibles, or gold watches ideally overpriced to launder huge sums of cryptocurrency.
Trump has already sold the American people a bill of goods. Remember the billions of dollars raised by supporters to “build the Wall” that he assured us Mexico would pay? Ultimately, about 52 miles were built at the cost of billions of dollars to American taxpayers.
As former Congressmen and Congresswomen, when we arrived at Capitol Hill, we took an oath of office to uphold the law. Now, we are putting “country over party” into practice and upholding our oath: even though most of us have been Republicans for generations, we are confidently voting for Harris.
We recognize that we are at a defining moment in the history of our democracy, but we all have a history-defining choice to make. If we don’t use that choice judiciously in this election, Trump says we may never have to vote again. The dictatorship will be underway.
And we cannot allow that to happen. We served as proud Republicans in Congress over the past four decades. Some of us helped build the conservative movement that transformed American society and politics.
While in Congress, we supported initiatives that kept America’s economy strong and competitive. We championed diplomacy and ensured the world’s strongest national defense.
As Republicans, we promoted environmental policies that have created millions of beneficial new jobs and entire new industries.
As Republicans, we recognized the constitutional rights of all Americans and promoted a safe, law-abiding society through our work in Congress.
And now, all of these accomplishments are at risk. Here are the policy concerns that we, many of the people who built these policies many years ago, are deeply worried about should Donald Trump be granted another term in the White House:
Harm to America’s economy and American consumers:
Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi says the nation’s economy is the best in his “35+ years as an economist.” It may not feel that way to many Americans, but this kind of progress is slow.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s economic policies led to this dramatic improvement in the economy. However, Donald Trump wants to upset it with costly new tariffs, thereby leading to higher costs for consumers and triggering inflation.
Economists agree that new tariffs would ignite a global trade war with foreign nations retaliating with their own tariffs, as they did during the last Trump administration which helped lead to recent high inflation levels.
Gun violence:
This year, America has suffered 411 mass shootings, and gun violence has killed nearly 13,000 people. In response to one of these massacres, Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, said blithely that mass shootings are “a fact of life.” He displayed no sense of responsibility for protecting American citizens and signaled no interest in future gun restraints of any sort.
How many more innocent schoolchildren, police officers, and other innocents will perish if the NRA’s best friend, Donald Trump, is elected again?
International leadership:
In the world arena, wrong steps can be disastrous and irreversible. The rule of law is paramount. Treaty obligations cannot be shrugged off because of presidential whim. Trust is the coin of this realm, and Trump’s word is worthless. No ally could feel comfortable believing whatever words come spilling out of Trump’s mouth, because he lies constantly and does not feel bound by either law or custom. That is why more than 700 senior national security leaders have joined us in supporting Harris.
Trump’s utter disregard for America’s interests and security is shocking. He is susceptible to greed and flattery, and that is all that America’s enemies need to succeed – a weak and impetuous American administration led by Trump.
The United States needs someone who will stand up to bullies, not snuggle up to them. Kamala Harris is someone Western leaders will acknowledge as a peer — not a boastful, unread, unserious seeker of applause.
Climate change:
Extreme weather events caused by human-induced climate change have wreaked havoc throughout our country, as the recent paths of destruction by Hurricanes Helene and Milton through six southeastern states demonstrate. These two storms already rank as the nation’s deadliest and costliest climate disasters this century, though we are grateful for FEMA’s laudatory response to help every victim in every community.
Yet Donald Trump calls climate change “a hoax!”
From wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, and extreme weather fluctuations, scientists have long predicted these kinds of devastating events. The only viable solution is to implement affordable, market-ready, clean energy technologies that are already putting millions of Americans to work, providing healthy breathable air, and ensuring a stronger economy.
And yet, all House Republicans voted against the Inflation Reduction Act that provided those solutions to climate. While new factories are being built around the country, especially in “red” districts, many of those same Republicans are attending ribbon-cuttings made possible by Democrats in Congress. This is the height of political hypocrisy.
Violence against women:
Trump has been convicted of rape, among many other crimes. Following the release of the “Access Hollywood” tapes, he was heard in vulgar terms bragging about kissing, groping, and trying to have sex with women, saying that “when you’re a star, they let you do it.”
Meanwhile, Vance has said that people should continue to stay in marriages — including ones that are “violent” — for the sake of children, otherwise it would make it “easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear.”
For Trump and Vance – and for too many MAGA Republicans, misogyny is a defining character.
Americans deserve better than Trump, and thankfully Kamala Harris is ready to serve.
We could go on about Trump’s unfitness for office, but these are merely policy directions: more guns; control of women’s bodies and families; international instability; “drill, baby, drill” to further pollute and jeopardize our drinking water and air.
These dictatorial policies and others are outlined in great detail in Project 2025, the Republican blueprint for a second Trump term. It details not only mass deportations but massive layoffs characterized by heartless retribution along with thousands of job cuts from the EPA, State Department, Food & Drug Administration, and other essential agencies!
Beyond policies that we, during our time as Congressmen and Congresswomen, instituted, there are others who are clear, from a psychiatric point of view, about the unfitness of this 78-year-old man who is visibly in cognitive decline. Dr. Bandy Lee, a psychiatrist and president of the World Mental Health Association calls Trump a sufferer of narcissistic personality disorder who would rather “destroy the world” than be a “loser.”
From Maine to Hawaii, from the Midwest to the South, we represent a philosophical cross-section of the traditional Republican Party. We may not always agree with Vice President Harris on the issues of the day but are united in the belief that democracy and the respect for law must supersede any differences we might have on policy.
The difference is crystal clear: Vice-President Harris will defend our democracy; Trump will undermine our democracy for his own purposes.
If American voters are wise, they will elect Vice President Harris and spare the nation from four more years of violence, extremism, and international ridicule.
Former Republican Members of Congress for Harris is an informal coalition whose members served as proud Republicans for a combined total of over 200 years and who now put country over party to protect America’s democracy and the rule of law. This piece was co-written by Representatives Claudine Schneider (RI, 1981-1991), James Greenwood (PA, 1993-2005), David Trott (MI, 2015-2019), Mickey Edwards (OK, 1977-1993), David Emery (ME, 1975-1993) Charles Djou (HI, 2010-2011) and John LeBoutillier (NY, 1981-1983).
