An open letter from a Reagan alum to Reagan Republicans

Why you should vote for Harris-Walz in 2024

Credit: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

Recently, on TikTok, posters suggested that it’s impossible for Reagan Republicans to support Harris. “No one from the Reagan era is still alive!” said the TikTokers.

Oh, how wrong they are.

Those of us who served President Reagan in our twenties are now in our sixties, and plenty of us are here to vote for Vice President Harris.

We’ll vote for her because we know Trump’s crazy tariff scheme is the polar opposite of free trade, will dramatically raise costs on consumers – and create a negative ripple effect on businesses.

We’ll vote for her because we also know Trump’s poorly thought-out tax plans will increase the debt and the deficit, and jeopardize the future for our grandchildren.

We’ll vote for her because there have always been gay Republicans, and Republicans have always had gay children. Vice President Harris’ administration will protect and defend all Americans, regardless of who they love.

We’ll also vote for her because we are proud of American democracy and will not countenance a slide into a fascist government that only serves a ruling class. While we may believe in a limited, efficient government, we believe in having a working government in place as a guard against abuse and chaos.

Finally, Reagan Republicans should support Vice President Harris because she’s a decent human being, as was President Reagan. We who knew him personally knew his dignity, his care for others, his ultimate integrity. During this campaign, I’ve seen Vice President Harris demonstrate the same sort of connection, honorability, and kindness.

Ronald Reagan famously had an “11^th Commandment”: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican”, and this is holding some folks back from voicing opposition to Trump or casting a vote for a Democrat. We understand.

But we also understand that President Reagan could never have envisioned a Republican nominee who spoke with such hate and rancor, who aimed to divide and scare the country, who endeavored to institutionalize and reward cronyism.

That’s not the Republican Party Ronald Reagan envisioned or led, and is not a party – or a nominee – any Reagan Republicans should support in this critical election.

For our country, for the future, the choice must be Vice President Harris.