Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign launches novel campaign to convince Republicans several key battleground statesincluding Pennsylvania, to vote for her in the presidential election.
Former congressman Jim Greenwood, who represented the suburban Philadelphia district from 1993 to 2005, and Ann Womble, who served as chairwoman of the Lancaster County Republican Party from 2012 to 2014, will serve as co-chairs Pennsylvania Republicans Back HarrisThey spoke with reporters in a telephone interview on Monday about the novel initiative.
“Over the next three months, we will be recruiting our fellow Pennsylvania Republicans who share our concerns and our belief that patriotism requires putting country before party, and never has that been more important than the need to stop Donald Trump from returning to the White House,” Greenwood said.
Womble, who switched her party affiliation to independent in 2016, said she sees the novel initiative as “Republicans and Independents for Harris,” and she believes it is a coalition for “decency, integrity and competence in government.”
“I don’t need a president that I agree with on every issue either,” Womble said. “I need a president that I can trust. I need a president that I’m not ashamed of, that will act like a decent human being. I need a president that I can be proud of representing our country on the world stage.”
Greenwood said the group plans to reach out to every registered Republican in Pennsylvania and provide opportunities for those who support Harris to join their campaign while also trying to convince undecided Republican voters. Womble said they will also try to hold weekly Zoom calls so Republicans in the group feel like they are part of a community.
Trump’s campaign responded to reports of a novel coalition by criticizing Harris.
“President Trump is building the largest, most diverse political movement in history as his winning message of putting America first again resonates with Americans from all walks of life,” Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary, said in a statement to the Capital-Star.
Trump has won the Pennsylvania Republican presidential primary in the last three elections. However, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley 158,000 votes were counted16% in the April statewide primary, even though she withdrew from the race in March.
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Womble said that while the coalition does not expect all of Haley’s voters to support Harris, she believes a significant portion of them are ready to “take a new path” and support the Democratic presidential candidate. She accused Trump of turning off those voters by choosing U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his vice presidential running mate.
While Womble said character and fitness are more critical than specific issues, she said she is pleased to see Harris “evolving” on certain issues, including fracking. Harris called for a ban on fracking during her previous campaign, but she recently said she no longer shares that view.
Womble also endorsed Harris and the Democratic Party’s defense of NATO, while Dr. Andrea Fellerman-Kesack, a clinical pathologist and member of the Republicans for Harris coalition, weighed in on Trump’s opposition to abortion rights. Harris has been a leading voice in the Biden administration on reproductive rights, particularly since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade.
“As a woman, a mother, and a doctor, I am appalled by Donald Trump’s drastic attacks on women’s reproductive freedom, and I am terrified by what he will do if he is elected to a second term,” she said.
“I and my Republican colleagues obviously don’t agree with her on every issue, but we’re confident that there will be enough Republicans in the House and the Senate that any issues that we may disagree with her on will be softened by Republicans in Congress,” Greenwood said.
This isn’t the first time Greenwood has been involved in a coalition opposing fellow Republicans in Pennsylvania. In 2020, he joined other Former Republican Congress Members Supporting Joe Bidencandidacy over Trump. In 2022 led the PAC that supported Gov. Josh Shapiro for governor in 2022 against Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano.
During the conversation, Greenwood described himself as “very, very partisan” but said Shapiro would be a great vice presidential candidate and added that he would attend Harris’ first event with her soon-to-be-announced vice presidential running mate in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
While the co-chairs unanimously endorsed Harris to lead the list, participants in the call indicated they were willing to share the list in November. For example, Greenwood and Fellerman-Kesack said they plan to vote for U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st District) in his re-election race against Democratic challenger Ashley Ehasz.
Greenwood represented much of Fitzpatrick’s current constituency when he served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
However, Greenwood and Kesack said they are supporting U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) against Republican challenger Dave McCormick in a key race that could decide control of the chamber.
Greenwood and others on the call said Monday they hope Trump’s defeat will lead to changes in the Republican Party.
“I hope that when Donald Trump steps down … that the Republican Party can start having internal discussions about rebuilding,” Greenwood said, adding that he would like to see the Republican Party return to supporting “individual liberty, individual responsibility, prudent spending, global leadership and free trade.”
