As polls show Democrat Joe Biden with a strong lead over President Donald Trump in the New Hampshire three weeks from Election Day, the Biden campaign is touting its support from Republicans in the state.
The latest name on that list: former New Hampshire Attorney General and longtime Republican leader Tom Rath, who endorsed Biden on Monday.
Rath said Trump has further divided the country, and that right now, he sees Biden as a president who can bring people together.
"It's not about policy, it's about character, decency and the way we should treat each other as Americans,” he said.
In a statement Monday, Rath wrote that personal integrity and character are key in this election.
“Donald Trump has none of these qualities; Joe Biden has them all in abundance,” Rath said. “Joe Biden understands who we are and who we can be as a nation. He does not demean, insult or divide.”
Rath has been a longtime player in New Hampshire Republican politics. He spent a decade as a state Republican National Committeeman, served as delegate to multiple Republican National Conventions, and was an advisor to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush and Mitt Romney, among others. He also helped lead the campaigns of two of New Hampshire’s most prominent Republican U.S. senators: Warren Rudman and Judd Gregg.
Rath backed former Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the 2016 presidential election and
“I would hope this serves as a wakeup call to the Republican party, that this lapse of judgment we’ve had for the last four years can eventually go away,” he said, “and we can get back to being the party we are: conservative on fiscal issues, respectful of each other, and strong on human rights.”
Other prominent New Hampshire Republicans to announce their support of Biden include former congressman and state Supreme Court justice Chuck Douglas, former Sen. Gordon Humphrey, and former Executive Councilor Peter Spaulding.
