Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris is heading into the presidential debate with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday locked in a tight race with her GOP opponent, but is continuing to see a growing number of Republicans endorse her ahead of the 2024 election.
Harris and Trump are poised to go head-to-head in Philadelphia in their first and maybe only debate before Election Day. Both candidates will have surrogates in the spin room following the matchup, hosted by ABC News. But among those advocating for Harris will be two people who worked in the White House for Trump.
Anthony Scaramucci, who had a brief stint as Trump’s White House communications director, and Olivia Troye, who was Homeland Security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, will be in Philadelphia to speak out against the former president, Harris’ campaign said.
Scaramucci and Troye are not the only Republicans who have announced their support for Harris, and the Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign rolled out “Republicans for Harris” to bolster outreach to GOP voters who oppose Trump.
Several Republicans endorsed Harris at the Democratic National Convention in August, while a group of more than 200 who worked for former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as Sen. Mitt Romney and the late Sen. John McCain signed onto a letter supporting the Democratic nominee.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney
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Cheney has been one of the most vocal Republican critics of Trump, and she announced her intent to vote for Harris during an event at Duke University on Sept. 4. She represented Wyoming in the House for six years, which included two years in GOP leadership as conference chair before being ousted from the leadership position by pro-Trump Republicans and then defeated by Trump-backed challenger in a primary.
“I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Cheney said. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. And because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
Former Vice President Dick Cheney
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The former vice president joined his daughter, Liz Cheney, in announcing his plan to vote for Harris in November. Cheney has a long career in Republican politics, having served four presidents. In addition to being vice president to President George W. Bush, Cheney was secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush and White House chief of staff under President Gerald Ford. He represented Wyoming in the House for 10 years.
“In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” he said in a statement on Sept. 6. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again. As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Like Liz Cheney, Kinzinger has also been one of the most ardent critics of Trump. The former Illinois congressman appeared at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22 to urge Republicans to back Harris in November.
“Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party,” he said. “His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness.”
Kinzinger delivered a message to GOP voters to “vote for our bedrock values and vote for Kamala Harris.”
Stephanie Grisham
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Grisham was a White House press secretary under Trump and chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump before resigning on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of the former president’s supporters violently breached the U.S. Capitol. She addressed the Democratic National Convention on its second night and lambasted Trump as having “no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.”
“I love my country more than my party,” Grisham said. “Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people and she has my vote.”
Olivia Troye
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Troye, who was an adviser to Pence, also addressed the Democratic National Convention to speak out against Trump and voice her support for Harris.
She said the Republican nominee’s goal is “to sow doubt and division,” and characterized a vote for Harris as a vote for democracy.
“You’re not betraying our party,” she said of the GOP. “You’re standing up for our country.”
Anthony Scaramucci
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Scaramucci was White House communications director before he was ousted from the role in July 2017 after serving just 11 days. He has since criticized Trump and the GOP, calling it a “Trumpist party” in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Kamala Harris is capable and has a great team,” he said in a July social media post.
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan
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Duncan was Georgia’s lieutenant governor and split with Trump over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He, too, delivered remarks at the Democratic National Convention to urge his fellow Republicans to support Harris in the presidential election.
To my fellow Republicans at home that want to pivot back toward policy, empathy and tone: You know the right thing to do. Now let’s have the courage to do it in November,” Duncan said, calling Harris a “steady hand.”
