Meg Whitman Will Be The First Republican To Campaign For Hillary Clinton, As Leading GOP Figures Flock To The Democratic Candidate
Since her confirmation as the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton has managed to pick up support from a number of big names within the Republican party. Clinton’s campaign has been helped by a distaste for Republican nominee Donald Trump amongst his own party’s establishment, with many coming out and publicly supporting Clinton instead. However, Meg Whitman will be the first Republican to directly campaign for Hillary Clinton, after announcing her support for the Democratic candidate earlier this month.
According to Politico, Meg Whitman, the Hewlett-Packard executive and former California Republican nominee for governor will make her debut appearance in support of Hillary Clinton in Denver, Colorado, a key battleground state. Whitman’s role within the Clinton campaign will primarily be focused on fundraising, as Clinton’s team look to attract the support and money of big donors who have previously bankrolled Republican candidates. Whitman could be quintessential in achieving just that.
That being said, after a few days of joining Clinton on her latest behind-closed-doors political fundraising tour in California, Whitman will make a more public appearance for the Clinton campaign, holding a breakfast with local business leaders in Denver, again with an eye to raise all important funds for the Democratic campaign.
Republican Meg Whitman to campaign for Clinton https://t.co/XdJPjObaVb pic.twitter.com/OwPI5sQFHP
— KOKH FOX 25 (@OKCFOX) August 30, 2016
As aforementioned, Whitman will be the first Republican to actually appear alongside Clinton on the campaign trail. Following Donald Trump’s nomination as the party’s candidate in the 2016 presidential race, many key names within the party have come out to confirm they’ll be voting for Clinton in November. However, none have actually agreed to appear alongside Clinton. With that in mind, the Clinton campaign will be hoping that the high-profile appearance of Meg Whitman will attract other Republicans to follow suit.
According to the Denver Post, Meg Whitman endorsed Hillary Clinton earlier this month, saying:
“As a proud Republican, casting my vote for president has usually been a simple matter. Not this year. The reality we face is that Donald Trump is unfit to be president. And that is why more and more Republicans are doing what I did and supporting Hillary Clinton. Secretary Clinton’s temperament, global experience and commitment to America’s national values make her the right choice in 2016 for President of the United States.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pl7LJrJ6Rs
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As far as the Republican establishment goes, Meg Whitman is a pretty high profile name. Whilst she’s primarily known as a Hewlett-Packard executive, Whitman also ran unsuccessfully for governor of California in 2010 as the Republican candidate and later served as finance co-chairwoman for Mitt Romney’s presidential run in 2012. Seen as a member of the party’s moderate, Whitman has undeniably been critical of Donald Trump since the beginning, likening him to a fascist.
President Obama will campaign for Hillary Clinton on September 13 in Pennsylvania https://t.co/VsTW5XWGVb pic.twitter.com/OFqrANcUor
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 30, 2016
Whilst Whitman may currently be the only Republican with plans to campaign for Hillary Clinton, she isn’t the only one to have endorsed the Democratic candidate. Many Republicans seen as members of the party’s establishment have urged voters to choose the nation’s security over party loyalty.
Clinton has, so far, managed to pick up the support of two former Republican governors; Arne Carlson, Minnesota (1991–1999), and William Milliken, Michigan (1969–1983), alongside a host of former senators and representatives from across the Republican party. In fact, she’s even managed to pick up the support of Richard L. Hanna, a current congressman from New York, the state which Hillary Clinton represented as a senator herself between 2001 and 2009.
[Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
