On Wednesday, a super PAC with an unexpected backing was launched in support of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. This committee, called 43 Alumni for Biden, consists of about 200 former members of the George W. Bush administration and campaign officials who are seeking to rally Republican voters around the Biden campaign. Specifically, they are targeting Republicans who are unhappy with President Donald Trump’s first term.
The “About Us” page of 43 Alumni for Biden calls for Republicans and Democrats to set aside partisanship for what the super PAC feels is the best way forward for the country.
“Through our advocacy, 43 Alumni for Biden seeks to unite and mobilize a community of historically Republican voters who are dismayed and disappointed by the damage done to our nation by Donald Trump’s presidency. Our efforts will focus on engaging voters with shared concerns about the future of our country and compelling them to make the right choice by voting for Joe Biden on Election Day, November 3rd, 2020.”
Karen Kirksey, the director of the committee and who worked on the Bush 2000 election campaign and in the Labor and Agriculture Departments, explained the super PAC’s intentions to CNN , saying the endorsement of Biden wasn’t based on his political agenda, rather it was created more out of a need to “restore the soul of this nation.” She lamented the current state of the Republican party, saying it has morphed into a cult of personality under Trump’s leadership.
Despite the negative perception of the GOP, members of the 43 Alumni for Biden say that they will remain Republicans and are proud of the principles and leadership they feel the party has had in the past. The PAC wrote it looks forward to a time after Biden is elected when “civil, honest and robust policy discussions” can exist and they will push an agenda of “tax cuts, reducing regulations or supporting an economy that champions freedom’s cause.”
The 43 Alumni for Biden super PAC joins several other Republican-backed organizations dedicated to preventing a second-term for Trump. The Lincoln Project was set up in 2019 by members who called themselves “Never Trump” Republicans and has regularly run commercials critical of the Trump administration. This was followed by Republican Voters Against Trump in May 2020, which launched a $10 million advertisement campaign in swing states to encourage Republicans to back Biden. Before the launch of 43 Alumni for Biden, the most recent Republican-backed PAC that supported Biden was the launching of the Right Side PAC in June. The founder, Matt Borges, described Trump as an “existential threat.”