Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, received an endorsement from Dawn Roberts, an Iowa campaign leader for former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, on Friday.
Harris, who became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, is set to face off against former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, in November.
In an opinion column in The Des Moines Register published on Friday, Roberts, an Iowa state co-chair of the “Nikki Haley for President” campaign, pledged her support for Harris as she praised her for last month’s Democratic National Convention.
Roberts, a lifelong Republican, stated that she was “at a loss” when both of the presidential candidates were in or near their 80s, but when Biden dropped out she “heard Harris articulate that she has always brought groups of diverse individuals and opinions together to solve problems. That is a healthier and wiser way to lead.”
“I was impressed with how she handled herself saying that she wanted to ‘earn everyone’s support.’ She showed willingness to listen to a wider range of views to solve problems. So I am supporting Kamala Harris for president,” Roberts wrote in her op-ed titled, “I co-chaired Nikki Haley’s Iowa campaign. I am endorsing Kamala Harris.”
Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador running for the GOP ticket, ended her campaign in March following losses on Super Tuesday in competition with Trump. Haley later endorsed Trump for the presidency.
Vice President Kamala Harris is seen on September 18 in Washington, D.C. Harris received an endorsement from Dawn Roberts, an Iowa campaign leader for former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, on Friday.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Roberts’ support for Harris comes as she is closing the gap with the former president in Iowa, according to new polling showing her down by just 4 points in the red-leaning state.
Trump won Iowa in 2016 by nearly 10 points, and again in 2020 by more than 8 points. A June poll in Iowa showed Biden, who had seen his approval rating hit historic lows, trailing Trump by a whopping 18 points.
However, new polling published last week by The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows Harris with 43 percent compared to Trump’s 47 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points and the survey polled 656 likely voters from September 8 to 11.
In response to Roberts’ endorsement, the Harris campaign, in a statement, pointed towards this gap, adding that Roberts is only the latest Republican to support the vice president.
“Roberts’ endorsement comes as recent polling shows an increasingly close race in Iowa and Trump continues to alienate moderate and independent voters. Even as Haley fundraises for Trump, support for Vice President Harris continues to grow from Haley primary voters and other anti-Trump Republicans,” Harris’ campaign said.
Newsweek has reached out to Harris’ and Trump’s campaign via email for comment.
While former Democratic President Barack Obama won Iowa in 2008 and 2012, the state has been largely viewed as solidly Republican since Trump’s victory there in 2016 and 2020.
However, the new polling suggests the Midwestern state might be in play.
“I wouldn’t say 4 points is comfortable [for Trump],” pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co. who led the Iowa poll, told The Des Moines Register. “The race has tightened significantly,” adding that the new survey results “signal a change in the mood of the electorate” in Iowa.
Roberts’ support comes two months after a coalition of Haley voters pledged their support for Harris in July hours after Biden left the race. The political action committee (PAC), previously known as Haley Voters for Biden, which now features Harris’ name, seeks to amplify the voices of former Haley voters in support of Harris’ White House bid.
It is not affiliated with the Stand For America or Nikki Haley for President PACs. In July, the group posted on X, formerly Twitter, clarifying this, writing “Just to clarify, we are not the Nikki Haley affiliated PAC. That was Stand for America.”
They added, “We did spend $1 million supporting Haley and rallied thousands of voters across the political spectrum to vote for her because she was best for our country. And now we support @KamalaHarris.”
Craig Snyder, the group’s director, previously told Newsweek in an email that the organization believes Harris “is best suited to defeat Donald Trump in November.”
“A tough former prosecutor, the Vice President comes from the centrist wing of the Democratic Party, not it’s left most fringe…For Haley voters, all of this puts the Vice President in a sweet spot for them to register their ongoing opposition to [former] President Trump,” he said.
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