Sep 27, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Former GOP governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge endorses Joe Biden

Kate Nocera

Former Republican Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge — Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Tom Ridge, the former Republican governor of Pennsylvania, will vote for Joe Biden, he announced in a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed on Sunday.

Why it matters: Ridge, who also served under George W. Bush as the first secretary of Homeland Security, said this would be his first time casting a vote for a Democratic candidate for president. He's now the third Republican former governor from a swing state to endorse Biden and reject Trump — joining John Kasich from Ohio and Rick Snyder from Michigan.

What he's saying: "Donald Trump has proven over these last four years he is incapable of such leadership. It is not within him. He lacks the empathy, integrity, intellect and maturity to lead," Ridge wrote.

"He sows division along political, racial and religious lines. And he routinely dismisses the opinions of experts who know far more about the subject at hand than he does — intelligence, military, and public health. Our country has paid dearly in lives lost, social unrest, economic hardship and our standing in the world."
"I believe the responsible vote is for Joe Biden. It’s a vote for decency. A vote for the rule of law. And a vote for honest and earnest leadership. It’s time to put country over party. It’s time to dismiss Donald Trump."

Go deeper: The top Republicans who aren't voting for Trump in 2020

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Former GOP governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge endorses Joe Biden

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