SEATTLE - Just a few days after holding a town hall aimed at Latino voters in Florida, former President Donald Trump is facing tough criticism from three Republicans who held relevant roles in the Sunshine State.
With less than a month to go before Election Day, both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris continue campaigning all over the country, trying to secure the support of undecided voters as well as secure more endorsements. In that context, three former Republican officials backed Harris, saying getting Trump back into the White House would be a "disaster."
The trio of former Florida officials, Bob Milligan, Jim Smith and Mac Stipanovich, announced their endorsements of Harris along with their new roles as Co-Chairs of the Florida Republicans for Harris Advisory Committee, Florida Politics reported.
They are not the only ones to cross the aisle in favor of Harris. Several other high and low-profile former Republicans have been following that path over the past months.
Milligan, who served as Florida's last elected Comptroller before it changed to the current Chief Financial Officer Post, said "we owe it to the country and to the world" to reject Trump.
Milligan, who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a lieutenant general and later led Florida's Department of Veterans' Affairs and Board of Education, said he's seen all kinds of leaders in his storied career. "An integral part of being a good leader is your character. Unfortunately, former President Trump's character is a disaster," he said. "That's why we owe it to the country and to the world to elect Kamala Harris and reject Donald Trump," he added.
Smith, a two-time Secretary of State an former Florida's 32nd Attorney General, as well as Stipanovich, who worked as Chief of Staff to former Gov. Bob Martinez, have also switched alliances. Stipanovich called Trump "unprincipled" and said that he represents the antithesis of what should define a conservative.
"He is a blustering, name-calling bully who only cares about himself," Stipanovich said. "Which is why I have already voted for Kamala Harris, and why I urge others who care about country more than party to do the same."
According to FiveThirtyEight, Trump holds an advantage of 5.4% percentage points over Harris in Florida, his largest lead since Harris was announced as the Democratic presidential nominee in August.
Part of Trump's advantage in the Sunshine State has to do with voter registration, as Florida Republicans lead by more than 1 million over Democrats registered.
As of Sept. 30, the Republican Party of Florida counted with almost 5.5 million registered voters, surpassing Democrats by more than 1 million, making it the largest margin for the GOP since the late 1980s.
Ahead of Election Day, Florida expects a large turnout as voters will not only be casting ballots for president and Senate, but will also be voting on two key propositions. Amendment 3 would legalize recreational marijuana, while Amendment 4 would expand abortion access in a state that just recently enacted a ban on abortion six weeks after conception.
Early voting in some Florida counties starts on Oct. 21 while the deadline for request of a mail-in ballot is next week.
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