Three ex-chairs of the Maine GOP back Harris instead of Trump.

• In an opinion piece published by Bangor Daily News, three former chairs of the Maine Republican Party "strongly supported" Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
• They opposed Donald Trump's proposed tax and trade policies, his divisive rhetoric, and his refusal to say that Ukraine should prevail in its campaign to expel Russian invasion forces.
• The Republican party was criticized by the former chairs, who accused much of its leadership of being Trump supporters.

On Monday, three former chairs of the Maine Republican Party "enthusiastically endorsed" Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president over GOP nominee and former President Donald Trump in an opinion piece published by Bangor Daily News.

"At a time when candidates of both parties were civil and committed to the rule of law, our party leaders believed that the best interests of the state and nation were their top priority, even when we had differing views on policies," wrote Robert A.G. Monks, Ken Cole and Ted O'Meara.

"Vice President Harris exhibits the same positive traits in her candidacy, but her opponent lacks them entirely," they stated.

The former president's divisive rhetoric was criticized by Monks, Cole, and O'Meara, while Harris was praised for her commitment to being "a president for all Americans, regardless of political party."

If elected, Harris intends to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet.

The trio argued that Trump's tax and trade policies, including the possibility of imposing a 100% tariff on imports from countries that abandon the US dollar, would negatively affect Maine workers. Additionally, they criticized Trump's ambiguity regarding the conflict in Ukraine. During a recent presidential debate in Philadelphia, Trump was questioned about whether it was in the best interests of the US for Ukraine to fully expel invading Russian forces. He responded by stating that he wanted the war to end but refused to fully support Ukraine's sovereignty.

The former chairs stated that they believe a second Trump presidency would make the world a much more dangerous place.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the op-ed.

The former chairs criticized the Republican party in their letter, stating that many of its leaders have become followers of Trump.

The former chairs wrote that they had the privilege of traveling throughout Maine to support and recruit candidates and promote the values of the big-tent Republican Party. However, they stated that Trump's MAGA Republican Party no longer resembles the party they once knew and represented.

In the 1990s, both Cole and O'Meara served as chairs of the Maine Republican Party. Monks attempted to run for Senate in 1996 but lost the GOP primary to Susan Collins, who went on to win the general election and has held her seat ever since, making her Maine's longest-serving member of Congress. Additionally, he was a leader of a "Maine Republicans for Obama" campaign group during the 2008 presidential election.

Over the past month, a growing number of Republicans have publicly endorsed Harris' bid for president. On Sunday, a bipartisan group of 741 former military and national security officials endorsed Harris. In a separate letter, 111 Republican former national security and foreign policy officials endorsed Harris last week, calling Trump "unfit" to serve as Commander-in-Chief.

The Harris campaign launched "Republicans for Harris" in August, securing endorsements from GOP figures such as former Vice President Dick Cheney.