The sheer number of notable Republicans and Republican institutions jumping ship to support the Democratic candidate for president, Senator Barack Obama, is unprecedented in American history. Additionally, many prominent Republicans have not specifically endorsed Obama, but have gone public with harsh criticism of John McCain, Palin, and their campaign, and proposed policies.
Speaking solely for myself, it is a very welcome reminder that partisanship does not always prevail. As Obama has said, "The winds of change are blowing."
- | This is a work in progress, and is not yet finished. I will be completing this list and updating it as further endorsements are announced, and to make any necessary corrections. If you notice that I missed anyone, please tell me via a comment. Thanks!
Last updated: November 3, 2008
Notable Republican political figures who have endorsed Senator Obama:
- General Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. October 19, 2008 | Source
- Paul Volcker, a true conservative, Volcker is an American economist, and was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve under both Carter and Reagan. He is now an advisor to Barack Obama. February 3, 2008 | Source
- William H. Donaldson, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during the Bush admin., and Under Secretary of State for the Nixon Administration. July 28, 2008 | Source
- Paul O'Neill, United States Secretary of the Treasury from 2001-02 under George W. Bush. August 26, 2008 | Source
- David Ruder, Chairman of the Securities & Exchange Commission under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. August 26, 2008 | Source
- Ben Bernanke, current Chairman of the Federal Reserve. October 21, 2008. | Source
- Charles Fried, one of McCains actual advisors jumps ship. Click here and here to view screenshots of the two press releases by the McCain Campaign where Fried is listed as an advisor. Conservative legal scholar and Reagan Solicitor General. October 24, 2008 | Source
- Ken Adelman, hired by Rumsfeld at the Office of Econo ic Opportunity under Nixon, was assistant to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld under Ford, served as Reagan’s director of arms control, and joined the Defense Policy Board for Rumsfeld’s second go-round at the Pentagon, in 2001. Adelman’s friendship with Rumsfeld, Cheney, and their wives goes back to the sixties, and he introduced Cheney to Paul Wolfowitz at a Washington brunch the day Reagan was sworn in. October 20, 2008 | Source
- Francis Fukuyama, a prominent American academic, philosopher, political economist, author, and an impassioned and early defender of neoconservatism.His endorsement was announced in the Nov 3 issue of The American Conservative. | Source
- William Weld, governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts under President Reagan, and led the criminal division of the U.S. Justice Department. "Senator Obama is a once-in-a-lifetime candidate who will transform our politics and restore America's standing in the world," Weld said in a statement released Friday. "We need a president who will lead based on our common values, and Senator Obama demonstrates an ability to unite and inspire." October 24, 2008 | Source
- James Brady former Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary under President Ronald Reagan. Also the founders of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (see groups section below), which has also Sourceendorsed Obama. October 13, 2008 | Source
- Scott McClellan, former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. On October 23, 2008 McClellan endorsed Barack Obama for president on a taping of CNN's "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" show. The interview will air on Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 10 p.m. ET | Source
- Rear Admiral John Hutson, USN (ret.), former Judge Advocate General of the Navy and the current dean and president of Franklin Pierce Law Center. August 26, 2008 | Source
- Larry Pressler, former GOP senator. South Dakota. "I just got the feeling that Obama will be able to handle this financial crisis better, and I like his financial team of [former Treasury Secretary Robert] Rubin and [former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul] Volcker better. McCain's handling of the financial crisis made me feel nervous."October 26, 2008 | Source
- Larry Hunter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Policy Innovation and Chief Economist for the Free Enterprise Fund, former Reagan policy advisor. July 16, 2008 | Source
- Lincoln Chafee, former Republican senator, Rhode Island.
February 14, 2008 | Source - Charles McC. Mathias Jr., former GOP senator, Maryland. October 28, 2008 | Source
- Arne Carlson, former Republican governor, Minnesota. October 23, 2008 | Source
- Lowell Weicker, former Governor and Senator for Connecticut. April 4, 2008 | Source
- Linwood Holton, former Governor of Virginia, father-in-law of current Virginia governor. September 16, 2008 | Source
- Ken Duberstein, former Reagan chief of staff. | Source
- Jim Leach, former Republican congressman. August 12, 2008 | Source
- Barbara Lorman, Republican state senator and GOP offiicial. October 21, 2008 | Source
- Ed Koch, former congressman and former mayor of New York City. [he supported Bush in 2004, but technically, he is a Democrat] September 9, 2008 | Source
- Wayne Gilchrest, congressman from Maryland. September 18, 2008 | Source
- Richard Riordan, former Republican mayor of Los Angeles. September 17, 2008 | Source
- Lou Thieblemont, Mayor of Camp Hill, Penn. Thieblemont switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat so that he could vote for Obama in the Pennsylvania primary. March, 2008 | Source
- Jim Whitaker, Fairbanks North Star Borough mayor endorsed Obama and delivered a speech on the second day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. August 12, 2008 | Source
- Doug Kmiec, a former constitutional legal counsel to two Republican presidents. March 23, 2008 | Source
- Rita E. Hauser, former White House intelligence advisor for George W. Bush. August 12, 2008 | Source
- Jeffrey Hart, former speechwrite for both Reagan and Nixon, senior editor at the National Review for 3 decades, Professor of English at Dartmouth. October 31, 2008 | Source
- Joel Haugen, Republican congressional candidate in Oregon. August 4, 2008 | Source
- Ronald Prescott Reagan, son of former President of the United States Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, currently a political pundit for the cable television network MSNBC, formerly talk show host and chief political analyst for KIRO radio in Seattle. Also has a show on AAR. October 31, 2008 | Source
- Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughter of former President Richard Nixon, granddaughter-in law of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. May 12, 2008 | Source
- Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower and president of the Eisenhower Institute. May 12, 2008 | Source
- Sarah Brady, wife of James Brady the former Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary under President Ronald Reagan. Also the founders of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (see groups section below), which has also endorsed Obama. October 13, 2008 | Source
- Tricia Moseley, a former staffer for the late Senator Strom Thurmond. | Source
- Lilibet Hagel, wife of Republican, Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. October 7, 2008 | Source
- CC Goldwater, the granddaughter of five-term US senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election.October 23, 2008 | Source
Other notable Republican individuals who have endorsed Senator Obama:
- Christopher Buckley, author, and son of William F. Buckley Jr.. October 10, 2008 | Source
- Wick Allison, former publisher of the National Review and current editor-in-chief of D magazine. September 22, 2008 | Source
- Michael Smerconish, conservative Philadelphia talk radio host. October 17, 2008 | Source
- Nicholas P. Cafardi, a law professor and the former dean of the Duquesne University Law School, is a prominent establishment Catholic figure who is staunchly anti-abortion. September 30, 2008 | Source
- Frank Schaeffer, pro-life advocate and the son of evangelist Francis Schaeffer.
- Andrew Bacevich, Professor of International Relations at Boston University. March 24, 2008 | Source
- Francis Fukuyama, Author, major figure in the rise of neoconservatism. May 27, 2008 | Source
- Christopher Hitchens, Author, journalist, literary critic. October 13, 2008 | Source
- Charles Barkley, Author, former NBA basketball player. August 27, 2008 | Source
- Dennis Hopper, loyal Republican actor, and former Bush supporter. October 13, 2008 | Source
- Sheryl Underwood, Republican comedienne, October 24, 2008. | Source: The View, on ABC
- Jack Antaramian, Florida real estate developer and Bush fundraser. October 7, 2008 | Source
Republican newspapers whose editorial boards have endorsed Senator Obama:
The circulation of the newspapers [all newspaper endorsements] endorsing each candidate is as follows:
Obama - 13.4 million
McCain - 3.7 million.
- Chicago Tribune - Illinois [the first time the CT has endorsed a Democrat in the 161 years of their existence]
- Naples News - Florida
- Mason City Globe Gazette - Iowa
- Richmond Palladium Item - Indiana
- New Haven Register - Connecticut
- State Journal - Wisconsin
- Yakima Herald - Washington
- The Columbian - Washington
- Salt Lake Tribune - Utah
- Houston Chronicle - Texas
- Austin American-Statesman - Texas
- Express-Times - Pennsylvania
- Canton Repository - Ohio
- Hamilton Journal News - Ohio
- Times-Reporter - Ohio
- New York Daily News - New York
- Asbury Park Press - New Jersey
- Las Cruces Sun News - New Mexico
- Denver Post - Colorodo
- Stockton Record - California
- Tri-Valley Herald - California
- San Gabriel Valley Tribune - California
- Pasadena Star-News - California
- San Bernadino Sun - California
- Long Beach Press Telegram - California
- Orlando Sentinel - Florida
- Yamhill Valley Sun News - Oregon
- The Economist
- Casper Star-Tribune
¶ Inspire Note: This post took me a full day to research and compile. If you cite it on your blog, or elsewhere, please include a link and attribution. This post is protected by Copyright.
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I wish you were correct, but I find no confirmation that Coleman, Snow and Collins have endorsed Obama. It's not in the sources you link to, and Google searches don't turn up any such endorsements. They decried the McCain tactics, but they did not endorse Obama, so far as I can find.
Posted by: Jim luckett | 22 October 2008 at 06:30 PM
Hi Jim.......thanks for calling me on it. You were unfortunately right. I misread the post, and tried to find confirmation at the time I originally read it, but couldn't. I thought perhaps I was just missing something. *kicking self for not re-reading it*
I removed all three of them from the list, and thanks for being nice about it! :)
Posted by: Inspire | 22 October 2008 at 06:55 PM
Thanks for putting this together. I was researching exactly this topic and came across your site. If I may be so bold, I would suggest you give mention to important relationships with not only key Republicans like Senator Lugar, Key figures like Paul Volker (Fed Chair during the Reagan Administration), and Warren Buffett. Many while not outright endorsing Sen Obama do hold positions as key advisers to the Senator.
You might also mention those other key Republicans and Conservatives, such as George Will and Peggy Noonan who may not go so far as to endorse Sen. Obama, but at the very least feel the need to decry the McCain tactics and policies (or lack thereof) if for no other reason than to save what is left of the Grand Old Party.
Thanks again
Posted by: Paul | 22 October 2008 at 11:41 PM