TOPLINE
A group of ex-Cabinet secretaries and White House officials in the George W. Bush administration launched a PAC on Wednesday to support presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, part of a growing network of Republican groups backing Biden over Trump.
US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden answers questions after speaking about the … [+] coronavirus pandemic and the economy on June 30, 2020, in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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KEY FACTS
The PAC, 43 Alumni for Biden, claims to have hundreds of former Bush officials in its ranks and aims to boost Biden through “testimonial videos” from high-profile Republicans and voter turnout efforts in key battleground states, Reuters reported Wednesday.
“Principles matter more than politics,” the group’s website reads. “That’s why we, a group of alumni who served President Bush, and other Republican presidents, governors, and Members of Congress, support Joe Biden for President.”
The group is headed by Karen Kirsky, a veteran of the Bush 2000 campaign and Bush’s Labor and Agriculture departments, who told CNN, “for four years, we have watched with grave concern as the party we loved has morphed into a cult of personality that little resembles the Party of Lincoln and Reagan.
Jennifer Milikin, who worked on Bush’s 2004 campaign and in the General Services Department, told Reuters, “we know what is normal and what is abnormal, and what we are seeing is highly abnormal. The president is a danger.”
Other officials on the group’s organizing committee include former 2000 campaign and EPA official Michael Brown and former White House communications staffer Kristopher Purcell.
Key Background
The PAC is one of a number of Republican groups backing Biden, such as Right Side PAC, a group of Republicans who feel Trump is a “existential threat,” and Republican Voters Against Trump, which is launching a $10 million ad campaign in swing states. But the highest profile group is the Lincoln Project, run by Republican strategists Steve Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson, as well as George Conway, wife of White House advisor Kellyanne Conway. The group aims to “troll” Trump through targeted ads in Washington D.C., spurring the Trump campaign to spend $400,000 in D.C. to flatter the President.
Key Quote
In 43 Alumni for Biden’s FAQ, the group reassures uncertain Republicans that while they support Biden, it does not necessarily mean they are abandoning the Republican Party or endorsing the DNC platform. “Many of us remain Republicans,” the group says, adding that “sound principles” and “service to our country,” are the onus for endorsing Biden. “This campaign is bigger than partisan politics. We recognize that there may be policy differences among us, but we look forward to a time when civil, honest and robust policy discussions are the order of the day.”
News Peg
Biden is unlikely to win a significant chunk of GOP voters, but he could outpace Hillary Clinton’s vote share among Republicans. 64% of Republicans in a New York Times/Siena College poll said they have a very unfavorable view of Biden, compared to 24% who said somewhat unfavorable and 9% who said somewhat or very favorable. That’s compared to 89% who said they have a very unfavorable view of Clinton in a YouGov poll conducted shortly before the 2016 election. Meanwhile, recent polls of typically Republican states like Arizona, Texas and Georgia have shown Biden competitive or leading.
Correction: This article previously misidentified Michael Brown as the former deputy director of FEMA.
