In a move to court disenchanted Republicans and moderate voters, Vice President Kamala Harris‘ campaign has launched “Republicans for Harris” in New Hampshire.
Although the Granite State has backed the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 2004, it is often a close race, and Donald Trump made significant gains there in the months before President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid.
The initiative seeks to capitalize on growing dissatisfaction within the GOP, particularly among those who oppose Trump’s return to the political stage.
The New Hampshire branch of “Republicans for Harris” is spearheaded by Claira Monier, a former Reagan administration official and former chair of Rick Santorum’s 2012 presidential campaign in New Hampshire, and James Steiner, a former Republican congressional candidate and retired U.S. Army Green Beret.
The duo is set to host Republican-focused events, including door knocking, phone banking and outreach to local Republican organizations and community groups.
Monier said in a statement to local television station WMUR-TV: “Donald Trump’s dangerous and divisive agenda is completely antithetical to the conservative values I’ve always fought to protect, which is why I am urging my fellow Republicans to join me in supporting Kamala Harris this November.”
Steiner added that it was his “patriotic duty” to support Harris. He said the Democrat, unlike Trump, had “always fought for our democratic values and for all Americans.”
The initiative reflects a broader national trend by the Harris campaign, which has made a concerted effort to attract moderate and independent voters.
Austin Weatherford, the campaign’s national director of Republican outreach, previously told the Associated Press that Trump’s “extremism is toxic to the millions of Republicans who no longer believe the party of Donald Trump represents their values.”
Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign via email for comment.
In New Hampshire, since Biden left the presidential campaign, Harris has maintained a lead in most surveys, suggesting a receptive audience for her cross-party appeal.
“Republicans for Harris” has also drawn support from prominent Republican figures nationwide. Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld are among the notable conservatives endorsing Harris.
Whitman recently told CNN that voting for Harris would “preserve our democracy at least for the next four years.”
The Harris campaign’s outreach in New Hampshire—along with similar efforts in Arizona, North Carolina and Pennsylvania—seeks to create a “permission structure” for GOP voters to support Harris without feeling disloyal to their party.
As Election Day approaches, the influence of these Republican endorsements could prove pivotal in swaying key battleground states and in keeping hold of more volatile blue-leaning states, including New Hampshire.
The post ‘Republicans for Harris’ Launches in Key State appeared first on Newsweek.
