The daughter of former president Gerald Ford has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris — citing the “horrors” of January 6 and division throughout the country.
Susan Ford Bales, the only daughter of the 38th president, said the country needs a “serious, compassionate, and honorable leader” — similar to the state of the country at the time her father took office in 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned.
“Vice President Harris and I likely disagree on some policy matters, but her integrity and commitment to those same principles that guided Dad have led me to conclude that Kamala Harris should be elected 47th President of the United States,” she said in a statement on Monday.
Gerald Ford, a Republican, took office in the United States at a contentious time. Americans had been rattled by the Watergate scandal which caused widespread mistrust in the government. Ideology aside, Ford was tasked with helping repair a fractured nation.
Ford Bales said the US faces a similar dynamic today in the wake of the attack on the Capitol.
“America cannot regress back to a divisive paradigm of loathing toward one another and disdain for our Constitution,” she wrote. “We witnessed on January 6 the horrors of what that looks like, and we can never allow a repeat of that tragedy. The forces that incited it must be held accountable. They can never be in a position to ever do it again.”
Ford Bales is the latest legacy Republican to announce support for Harris. She joins former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, Liz Cheney, in endorsing the current vice president over Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Trump has increased his divisive rhetoric throughout his presidential campaign in an effort to separate those who support him from everyone else.
The Harris campaign has sought to bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats by crafting a bipartisan message and appealing to moderate or independent voters.
The campaign has created a “Republicans for Harris” group which includes former officials and aids in the Bush administration as well as the Trump administration. At the Democratic National Convention, former and current Republicans were invited to give speeches and appear alongside Democrats.
Ford Bales said she’s confident Harris will “defend the rule of law and our Constitution” and, like her father who passed away in 2006, bring Americans together.
“That is what America deserves from our president, and that is why I am proud to endorse Vice President Harris for President of the United States,” Ford Bales ended.
