Here are the high-profile Republicans backing Biden

Former Vice President Joe Biden has successfully courted a number of prominent Republicans for his White House bid, with several speaking on his behalf at the Democratic National Convention this week.

Dissatisfaction with President Trump among some Republicans predates Biden becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee this year, though several high-profile Republicans have recently come out to back Biden.

Below are the Republicans who have formally endorsed him for president:

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich

Kasich, who served as governor for eight years before launching his 2016 presidential bid, delivered a speech on the first night of the Democratic convention this week where he sought to quell fears that Biden may be straying too far left.

“I’m sure there are Republicans and independents who couldn’t imagine crossing over to support a Democrat,” Kasich said on Monday. “They fear Joe may turn sharp left and leave them behind. I don’t believe that because I know the measure of the man. It’s reasonable, faithful, respectful, and, you know, no one pushes Joe around.” 

Former Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman

Whitman, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in California as a Republican in 2010, was among the members of the GOP who spoke on the first night of the Democratic convention.

“I’m a longtime Republican and a longtime CEO,” Whitman, who is the current CEO of Quibi, said during the convention. “And let me tell you, Donald Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy.”

Former N.Y. Rep. Susan Molinari

Molinari, who represented New York from 1990 to 1997 and served as vice chair of the House Republican Conference, was among the Republicans who spoke during the first day of the Democratic convention. In a brief address she said Biden is “exactly what this nation needs at this time.”

Former Trump administration official Miles Taylor

Taylor, who served as chief of staff to former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden in an ad released Monday by the group Republican Voters Against Trump where he called the Trump presidency “terrifying.”

On Tuesday, Trump dismissed Taylor as a “disgruntled employee” and said he did not know and had never heard of him. Taylor responded to the president’s tweet with a photo of the two of them in the Oval Office.

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday Taylor said it is time for Republicans “to put country over party.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman

Whitman, who served as governor from 1994 to 2001 before leading the Environmental Protection Agency under former President George W. Bush, also gave a brief statement during the convention on Monday.

She said the election “isn’t about a Republican or Democrat. It’s about a person: a person decent enough, stable enough, strong enough to get our economy back on track; a person who can work with everyone, Democrats and Republicans, to get things done.”

“Donald Trump isn’t that person; Joe Biden is,” Whitman added.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell

Powell, who served under former President George W. Bush, said in June that he would be voting for Biden.

“I certainly cannot in any way support President Trump this year,” Powell said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Powell said Trump “has not been an effective president” and “lies all the time,” starting with his first day in office about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. He also said he is “very close to Joe Biden,” noting that he has worked with the former vice president for four decades.

The former secretary of State previously endorsed President Obama in 2008 and 2012 as well as Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina 

Fiorina, who also ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, said in an interview on The Atlantic’s “The Ticket” podcast that she is voting for Biden.

“I’ve been very clear that I can’t support Donald Trump,” Fiorina said. “And elections are binary choices… I am encouraged that Joe Biden is a person of humility and empathy and character. I think he’s demonstrated that through his life. And I think we need humility and empathy everywhere in public life right now. And I think character counts.”

Former Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.)

Dent, a moderate Republican who served in Congress from 2005 to 2018, announced he would be supporting Biden in the November election in a CNN op-ed published Wednesday, where he called Trump “a threat to the rule of law and functional democracy.”

“Biden is fundamentally a decent and honorable man who respects the American tradition, supports the rule of law, embraces America’s friends and allies, and will restore some semblance of normalcy to the functioning of government,” Dent wrote.

Former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte

“All roads lead to Trump in a way,” Negroponte told The Daily Beast in an interview. “I’m just not sure the country can withstand another four years of the presidency with a man who has shown such disregard to the office.”

“The real issue for Americans is whether Biden has the character, compassion and life experience needed to represent the United States as president and the requisite respect for the office to which he aspires,” he added. “He beats Mr. Trump on these attributes hands down.”

Updated August 20 at 1:47 p.m.

Tags 2020 conventions 2020 Democratic convention 2020 election Charlie Dent Colin Powell Donald Trump George Conway Hillary Clinton Jeff Flake Joe Biden John Bolton John McCain Kellyanne Conway Kirstjen Nielsen Lisa Murkowski Mitt Romney White House

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