Seventeen Republicans who worked under former President Reagan endorsed Vice President Harris, her campaign announced in a press release Sunday.
In the endorsement, which cited Reagan’s “Time for Choosing” speech, the Republicans said they believe Reagan would have supported Harris’s presidential bid if he were alive today.
“While he is not here to experience the current moment, we who worked for him in the White House, in the Administration, in campaigns and on his personal staff, know he would join us in supporting the Harris-Walz ticket,” they wrote in a statement.
The former officials said they hope other Republicans will follow them in supporting Harris.
“It’s our hope that this letter will signal to other Republicans and former Republicans that supporting the Democratic ticket this year is the only path forward toward an America that is strong and viable for our children and grandchildren for years to come,” they wrote.
“The time for choosing we face today is a choice between integrity and demagoguery, and the choice must be Harris-Walz. The choice between truth and lies demands support for Harris-Walz,” the former officials wrote. “The choice between freedom and suppression of freedoms means support for Harris-Walz.”
Among the Republicans listed are Kenneth Adelman, Reagan’s ambassador to the U.N. and U.S. arms control director; Carol Adelman, assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development; Elizabeth Board, deputy assistant to the president for communications; B. Jay Cooper, deputy assistant to the president under Reagan and deputy White House press secretary to President George H. W. Bush; Pete Souza, official White House photographer; and others.
The statement follows a similar endorsement memo for Harris from more than 230 former staffers for Republican Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and for presidential nominees Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
The Harris campaign has sought to emphasize its support from Republicans, and it made a point to include several Republican supporters at the Democratic National Convention. Recently, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and former Vice President Dick Cheney endorsed Harris.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
