Former Maine Republican leaders condemn Trump, voice support for Harris • Maine Morning Star

Several Maine Republicans condemned former President Donald Trump at a Monday press conference supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign in Maine, calling him a threat to democracy. 

Three prominent Republican leaders in Maine who have served as state legislators, mayors and Republican delegates in previous presidential elections pledged to support Harris, the Democratic nominee, at a virtual event that is part of a national effort by the Harris campaign to secure moderate votes.

The three leaders gave several reasons why they believed conservative Mainers should avoid another Trump presidency, namely because he doesn’t represent Republican values nor will he work in the interest of the American people. 

After Trump’s election and first term, all three said they felt abandoned by the Maine Republican Party in its staunch support of his reelection campaign.

“I sometimes think that they retain those positions almost out of fear and not out of loyalty and not out of common sense. People are afraid of Donald Trump,” said Peter Mills, a former Republican state senator and candidate for governor

“But I think in the voting booth, most loyal American citizens are going to step into the booth and do the right thing and vote for Kamala Harris,” Mills said.

The Maine Republican Party did not respond to requests for comment.

Tony Payne, the former executive director of the Maine GOP, said he plans to vote for Harris because he no longer recognizes the Republican values he stood for in the current party and its support for Trump.

“Let’s get real: Trump’s motivation to be president is to avoid going to prison and to be the star of his revenge tour,” Payne said. “Vice President Harris will be motivated to fight for a brighter future that lets people get ahead; to buy a house, to save for retirement, and to restore reproductive freedom to all women.” 

“While President Harris would be fighting for us, Donald Trump would be fighting for more tax cuts for the ultra wealthy,” Payne said.

Roger Katz, the former assistant Senate minority leader and mayor of Augusta, said voters should listen to Trump’s former staff members, many of whom have openly criticized the former president, such as his former chief of staff, John Kelly, who said Trump had “nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions,” or former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who called him a security threat.

“This is a binary choice … and the choice is so clear,” Katz said. “And I hope that whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or you’re an independent, you’ll see that clear choice and vote to uphold and support our democracy in November.”

Endorsements from other GOP leaders

Republicans across the country have similarly endorsed Harris. 

Some of those GOP endorsements include former members of Congress such as Kinzinger; Rod Chandler of Washington; Tom Coleman of Missouri; Dave Emery of Maine; Wayne Gilchrest, who was a GOP member from until 2009, of Maryland; Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania; John LeBoutillier of New York; Susan Molinari of New York; Jack Quinn of New York; Denver Riggleman of Virginia; Claudine Schneider of Rhode Island; Christopher Shays of Connecticut; Peter Smith of Vermont; Alan Steelman of Texas;  David Trott of Michigan; and Joe Walsh of Illinois. 

The “Republicans for Harris” program also includes former Trump officials such as former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye, a former national security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence. 

“I might not agree with Vice President Kamala Harris on everything, but I know that she will fight for our freedom, protect our democracy, and represent America with honor and dignity on the world stage,” Grisham said in a statement. 

“I encourage other Trump administration officials who saw the tyrant we worked for in office to speak out and stand with Kamala Harris this November to keep integrity in the White House and ensure democracy for our country,” she continued.

Several former governors are also part of the coalition, such as Jim Edgar of Illinois; Bill Weld of Massachusetts; and former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan of Georgia.

Over the weekend, during a campaign rally, Trump attacked popular Georgia Republicans such as Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Both men are Republicans who resisted Trump’s pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 election results, but they have not given their support to Harris.

Correction: This story was updated from an original version that said the event was Wednesday.