Harris Scores Endorsement From a Lifelong Republican and Former Secretary of Defense

Vice President Kamala Harris has scored yet a new endorsement from a lifelong Republican as she seeks to tip the scale in her favor with less than two weeks before Election Day.

The person in question is William Cohen, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and a Representative and Senator for Maine for over two decades.

Cohen has rejected Trump since his incursion into national politics, supporting Hillary Clinton in 2020 and Joe Biden in 2020.

In an opinion column published in the Wall Street Journal, Cohen focused on prior warnings given by other Republicans, especially those who worked with the former president during his tenure.

"Many prominent officials who served in Mr. Trump's administration have declared that he poses a clear and present danger to the foundations of our democracy and that he is unfit to serve as our commander in chief," reads a passage of his column. "Those who know him best respect him least. They have given us fair warning."

The statement is timely, as it coincides with statements from former Chief of Staff John Kelly, who told The New York Times that the former president meets the definition of a fascist. Kelly also claimed that Trump stated Adolf Hitler "did some good things, too."

Shortly after, 13 staffers who also served in the White House signed a letter saying they were "not surprised" by the revelations. "The revelations General Kelly brought forward are disturbing and shocking. But because we know Trump and have worked for and alongside him, we were sadly not surprised by what General Kelly had to say," the letter states, as reported by Politico.

Signatories include former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, former chief of staff at the Dept. of Homeland Security Miles Taylor and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. Grisham, as well as fellow signee Olivia Troye, the former national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, both spoke at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year.

Other Republicans who recently endorsed Harris include ormer Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, who served for over three decades in the Lower House and retired in 2022 after voting to impeach Trump, and Shawn Reilly, the mayor of conservative Wisconsin stronghold Waukesha.

Other prominent figures who have taken similar steps include former high-ranking House Republican Liz Cheney, who warned against electing Donald Trump as president, agreeing with the claim that he is a "fascist" and making ominous warnings about a potential second term of his. Cheney campaigned with Harris in Brookfield earlier this week, where Reilly was present in support.