State Republican party chairs endorse Kamala Harris for president: ‘Be a patriot’

Three former chairs of the Maine Republican Party say a second Trump term would ‘make our world a far more dangerous place’

Three former chairs of the Maine Republican Party have “enthusiastically” endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the race against former President Donald Trump, joining hundreds of Republicans and former GOP administration officials in backing the Democratic nominee.

Robert Monks, Ken Cole and Ted O’Meara made the announcement in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News.

Recalling a bygone era, they said they led the Maine Republican Party when “candidates of both parties were not only civil and believed in the rule of law” but also “had the best interests of the state and entire nation” in mind, despite any disagreements that may occur.

They added that they see these “positive characteristics “ in the vice president but that they are “completely lacking” in Trump.

Monks, Cole, and O’Meara argue that Trump’s sole goal appears to be to divide people across the nation, within communities, families and friends.

“Whether it is race, religion, gender, ethnicity or country of origin, Trump continues to pit us against each other in his frightening, cynical quest to get elected again,” the ex-GOP chairs wrote in the op-ed published on Monday.

Meanwhile, the trio argued that Harris is “collaborative and capable” and, unlike Trump, is “committed to bringing people together.”

The authors said they trust her when she says she intends to be a president for the entirety of the US, before going on to lament that the “big-tent Republican Party” they represented no longer exists: “Trump’s MAGA Republican Party is unrecognizable to us.”

Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris gestures as she speaks during a campaign event in Wisconsin. The Republican state party chairs in Maine have now endorsed her for president (REUTERS)

They slammed Trump for the “chaos and lies” and noted the widespread support for Harris among more old-school Republicans such as former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, former top House Republican Representative Liz Cheney, and more than a dozen former Ronald Reagan staffers.

Monks, Cole and O’Meara also noted that over 100 former top Republican officials signed a letter stating that Trump is “unfit to serve again as president, or indeed in any office of public trust.”

The trio lambasted Trump for refusing to state if he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia during his appearance on the debate stage in Philadelphia on September 10 and for “cozying up to dictators” such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

They cited the worries of European allies at the prospect of a second Trump term and China’s increasing aggression towards Taiwan, adding that the war-torn Middle East “desperately needs calm and determined US leadership.”

Trump’s return to the White House would “make our world a far more dangerous place,” the former GOP state chairs argued.

The Maine Republicans also shared their concerns that Trump and his “Project 2025” agenda would destroy programs “good for Maine people,” such as Medicare, Social Security and protections for pre-existing health conditions via the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Ed Fry Arena in Pennsylvania. Former state Republican party chairs in Maine have now endorsed his rival (AFP via Getty Images)

“The key question this fall is whether a majority of Maine people will vote for an America that believes in free and fair elections defends personal freedoms like a woman’s right to choose and get proper health care, and supports a tax structure where everyone pays their fair share,” they added.

“Or will they fall for Trump’s election lies, endanger more of our personal liberties, and enable tax and trade policies that will hurt Maine workers,” they asked.

The trio noted that large parts of the GOP and its leadership have joined the Trump “cult,” the members of which will “care little for what we have to say.”

They instead called on the “many honest, hardworking, principled people” in the Maine Republican Party to join them in backing the vice president.

Monks, Cole and O’Meara went on to quote Republican Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and his speech to the Democratic National Convention.

“Let me be clear to my Republican friends at home – If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot,” Duncan said last month.

“On November 5, be a patriot,” the three Republicans urged their readers.