From: Lee Shipman
Columbus
In this upcoming election, it’s important to recognize that the candidates we’re dealing with aren’t just from traditional Republican and Democratic parties. Instead, we have Kamala Harris running as the Democratic candidate, and Donald Trump, representing a faction that has become more about personal gain than serving the country—what I refer to as “Trumpublican.”
I can’t recall a time in my 60+ years when prominent members of the Republican Party have openly campaigned for the opposition’s candidate, yet here we are. Hundreds of Republican leaders, military officials, and even former colleagues of Donald Trump are urging voters not to re-elect him. The likes of Liz Cheney and nearly everyone who worked with and for the former president in a professional capacity, and has seen the inner workings, now have a complete aversion to the former president and is voting to prevent his election.
I was deeply moved by Judy McCormick’s letter, published Sept 21st, where she—a lifelong Republican—expressed her support for Kamala Harris. It was a powerful act of courage, a quality sorely lacking in elected officials like Sen. Mike Braun, Congressman Greg Pence, and our state Rep. Ryan Lauer, to name just a few. None of these leaders have spoken out against the falsehoods surrounding the 2020 election, despite numerous opportunities to stand up for the truth.
I’ve personally reached out to both Greg Pence’s staff and Ryan Lauer, asking them to denounce these lies, but they, like many others, remain silent. Their refusal to speak up shows just how much the Republican Party in this state has been taken over by Trump’s influence—a point highlighted in Scott Keen’s letter from Sept. 7th, where he outlined the failures of our state’s Republican leadership.
I don’t fault everyday Republican voters for this takeover, but I do hold our elected officials accountable. They have a responsibility to speak the truth, especially regarding the dangerous implications of another Trump presidency.
Donald Trump continues to spread falsehoods, recently lying about the relief efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Helene, just as he did with the COVID vaccine. This misinformation causes real harm. Yet, many Republican leaders stay quiet out of fear—fear of losing support, or worse, fear of inciting violence from his followers. It’s a disheartening reality.
So, like Judy McCormick, I urge you to vote for Kamala Harris. But beyond that, we need to vote out the Republican leadership that has failed our state, as Scott Keen so aptly pointed out.
The big take away, now more then ever is the time to vote for country/state over party. Hopefully this election season will be the last in sometime, where it is again “the most important election of our lifetime.”
Editor’s note: This letter is paid political content. Political endorsement letters are published with a $25 fee. They may be submitted to [email protected].
