Republicans for Harris

Republicans for Harris launch effort in battleground North Carolina with virtual news conference

From CNN's Dianne Gallagher

The Republicans for Harris coalition kicked off its North Carolina campaign Monday with a virtual news conference featuring four elected Republicans and former Republicans explaining their support for the Democratic ticket this election.

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, former Mecklenburg County GOP board member Michael Tucker and US Army veteran Scott Peoples addressed their personal reasons for endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, and what role the newly formed coalition of Republicans and former Republicans will have in the plan to turn the battleground state blue in November.

“Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. I’m a Republican, but more importantly, I’m an American. And that’s why I’m here,” said Duncan to start the press conference.

“I am proudly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next president of the United States, for a number of reasons. And not many of those are because of all the policies, but because of the person. Because of the adherence to the Constitution and because it’s going to be a stable hand in a time when this country needs a stable hand to get us to the next step,” he added.

Orr, a Republican for 45 years before switching his registration to unaffiliated “after January 6 and the events that followed,” told the press on the call that “the stakes are simply too high not to take action.”

“Trump failed Republicans. He failed Americans. And he failed our country when he was serving as president. A second Trump term would be an even great danger to our democracy and Constitution than the first,” said Orr, adding that he recently attended a Harris campaign event in Greensboro. “It could not be more important to ensure that never again in the position to use the office of the presidency for his own personal gain.”

The Harris campaign has said the coalition will “play a pivotal role in engaging Trump-skeptical Republican voters across North Carolina, facilitating Republican-to-Republican voter contact, including by hosting Republican-featured events, door knocking, phone banking, spearheading letter-to-the-editor campaigns, and building local networks with Republican organizations, businesses, and community groups.”

Tucker said he cast one of the more than 250,000 votes for Nikki Haley in the North Carolina’s Republican primary back in March, and now, he is “actively working to protect America to identify other Republicans who have also been alienated by Donald Trump.”

Tucker, Peoples and Orr all acknowledged that many Republicans or Republican-leaning voters in North Carolina likely do not feel comfortable with casting a ballot for a Democrat- or at least, admitting that are doing that.

“You’re not alone if you feel this way and you are hearing this, there are other Republicans who feel the same way you do,” said Tucker.

“They don’t have to step forward like we are. All they have to do is go in that voting booth, in the privacy of that spot, and do the right thing for America. And that is vote for Vice President Harris,” said Orr

Quality people with America in their heart...