An open letter from a McCain alum to McCain voters

Why you should support Harris-Walz in 2024

For those of us who worked for Senator McCain and came of age in a time when his leadership was the moral compass of the Republican Party, we cannot help but wonder what he would say about this election if he were still with us. Of course, we cannot know because this race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is of our lifetime, not John McCain’s.

But we do not have to look far to find the wisdom he would impart for those trying to decide how to vote on November 5.

In his book, The Restless Wave, written in the final months of his life, Senator McCain told us just what he thinks about politicians who promote unity versus those who promote conflict:

Here’s my unsolicited advice to the American voter. If a candidate for Congress pledges to ride his white horse to Washington and lay waste to all the scoundrels living off your taxes, to never work or socialize or compromise with any of them, to make an example of them, and then somehow get them to bow to your will and the superiority of your ideas, don’t vote for that guy. It sounds exciting, but it’s an empty boast and a commitment to more gridlock, and gridlock is boring. If a candidate modestly promises to build relationships on both sides of the aisle, to form alliances to promote their ideas, to respect other points of view, and split differences where possible to make measurable progress on national problems, ask that candidate to run for President. Their humility and honesty commend them for the job.

In this election, we have Donald Trump on one side, promising retribution against those who oppose him and calling them the “enemy within.” He denigrates our towns, cities, and our people. He calls America a “garbage can.” But he somehow expects us to believe another four years of him at the helm will usher in an age of nirvana.

On the other side, we have Kamala Harris who recently made a pledge to the American people to “seek common ground and commonsense solutions to make your life better. I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. I pledge to listen to experts, to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make, and to people who disagree with me. Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table.”

The line dividing these two candidates’ approach to governing could not be more distinct.

Senator McCain wrote that he wished for our politics to return to what distinguished our great nation from the history of other nations. He wanted us to remember that we, as Americans, are more alike than different. He wanted us to remember we are citizens of a republic built on shared ideals and not tribal animosities. He wanted us to remember that despite our different points of view, we owe one another respect, so long as our character merits respect.

If you were a supporter of John McCain, then listen to his words calling to us from beyond. There is only one candidate in this race who is fighting for the ideals for which Senator McCain dedicated his life to advance.

Voting for Kamala Harris doesn’t make you a Democrat. It doesn’t mean you agree with every policy she supports. But we’ve seen what ten years of Donald Trump dominating the conversation has given us. The beauty is that if, as president, Kamala Harris fails to live up to what she promised, she must come before you in another four years to defend her record, and you citizen, in your constitutional right, get to pass judgement.

If you’re ready to turn the page and return our country to what John McCain saw in us, then we owe Kamala Harris the chance to prove that she is worthy to carry on Senator McCain’s legacy.