Vice President Harris on Wednesday picked up endorsements from three longtime Republican leaders in New Hampshire who supported former President Trump’s rival Nikki Haley in the Republican primary.
Former U.S. Senator Gordon Humphrey, former U.S. Congressman and former New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Chuck Douglas and former New Hampshire Attorney General Thomas Rath condemned Trump as a divisive and unstable candidate in statements declaring their support for Harris. Her campaign said the endorsements reflect growing enthusiasm for the vice president among registered Republicans both in the Granite State and the rest of the nation.
“I voted Republican for fifty years, but I’m voting against Donald Trump and I plead with all Republicans to do the same,” Humphrey said in a statement. “As a father, a grandfather, a veteran, and a former United States Senator, I cannot vote for Trump. He’s dangerous to our democracy.”
Douglas said that Trump “believes in himself over service” and views the election “as the change to jail his political opponents.” Harris would be a “steady hand at the ship of state” in contrast to Trump’s “fragile mental state and anger,” according to the former lawmaker.
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Rath likewise condemned Trump’s “campaign of division, anger, thinly veiled prejudice, and rejection of our core values as a nation.”
The Harris-Walz campaign welcomed their support and noted that hundreds of current and former Republicans across the country have backed Harris, including former GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
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In New Hampshire specifically, the campaign said there has been a 47% increase in registered Republican volunteers compared to 2022 and a 76% increase in the number of GOP voters who have told canvassers they plan to vote for Democrats next week.
“While Vice President Harris has made clear there is a home in her campaign for all Americans – including Republicans and independents – Donald Trump continues to double down on his extreme agenda,” the campaign said in a news release.
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Reached for comment, the Trump campaign noted that Haley is supporting his candidacy, along with former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii.
“President Trump is building a historic and diverse movement to make America great again,” Trump national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “He’s been endorsed by many respected leaders from Nikki Haley to RFK Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard. We welcome anyone who wants to secure our border, restore law and order, and end inflation to join our team.”
New Hampshire has been an important swing state in prior presidential elections, although Harris has held a consistent lead over Trump in public opinion polls this year. Fox News’ Power Rankings rate the state as “Likely D.”
