Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden gained the support Thursday of dozens of current and former Republican and independent politicians opposed to reelecting President Trump.
Former governors of New Jersey, Michigan and Massachusetts are among prominent members of the GOP backing the Democrat through a new group, Republicans and Independents for Biden.
Launched in May by the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC, the group released a list of 79 current and former government officials and operatives on board with its efforts.
The group said its “sole mission” is to elect Mr. Biden in November and that it will “target persuadable Republican and right-leaning independent voters” in the race’s final weeks.
Christine Todd Whitman, a former New Jersey governor who later served in the administration of President George W. Bush, serves as chair of the coalition’s steering committee.
“In this moment of great national crisis, we need to elect a leader matched to the moment, someone who can restore competence to the Oval Office and unify the country. Joe Biden is that leader,” she said in a statement.
Rick Snyder, a former governor of Michigan also sits on the group’s steering committee, concurred.
“Joe Biden is a man of deep faith and commitment to family, decency and integrity, which will serve us all well when he is in the White House,” Mr. Snyder said. “We must elect Joe Biden in November so that we can begin the arduous but essential process of healing America and putting society back on a positive path where civility and working together help us achieve great things as a nation once again.”
Other notable Republicans endorsing Mr. Biden through the group include Rosario Marin, the U.S. treasurer under Mr. Bush, and Bill Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts.
Ryan Call, former chair of the Colorado GOP, and Nancy Risque Rohrbach, a member of the Reagan administration, are among its members as well.
Recent polls conducted by CNN, USA Today, Rasmussen and Quinnipiac showed Mr. Biden leading Mr. Trump by several percentage points with about two months left until the election.
The first presidential debate of the election season is currently set for Sept. 29. The election takes place Nov. 3.
