Opinion: Presidential candidate endorsements speaks volumes

By Steve Corbin

There’s only a few weeks remaining before the 2024 presidential election comes to a close, that is, pending post-Nov. 5 election certification, recounts, challenges and lawsuits. Ed Kilgore, political columnist for Intelligencer-New York Magazine since 2015, estimates that only 4-7 percent of the electorate is genuinely undecided as to whether to vote for GOP’s Trump-Vance ticket or the Democratic Party’s Harris-Walz team.

However, there might be a bigger problem for both political campaigns. That is, Pew Research Center’s analysis of the past three elections reveals 63 percent of Americans – an alarming number — are not dependable voters. Sometimes they vote and sometimes they don’t vote. These voters are referred to as irregular voters.

What might be influential to the undecided and irregular voters won’t come down to Trump-Vance promises or Harris-Walz platitudes, per se, but to endorsements by people of influence and/or by political loyalists announcing they are voting for a person from the “other side.”Let’s explore what’s been happening along these lines

Donald J. Trump, Republican

In late August, Trump announced two former Democrats were appointed to his hopeful post-Nov. 5 transition team, namely Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. Kennedy, a former Democrat, turned independent but most recently ended his presidential campaign. Five months ago, Trump called Kennedy a ”radical left lunatic.” Former U.S. Rep. Gabbard (Dem., Hawaii, 2013-2021) left the Democratic Party in 2022. The Daily Beast reported that on Feb. 19, 2023, Gabbard spoke at a `Russian Patriot’ rally at Washington, DC’s National Mall along with former Democrat congressman Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), former Libertarian congressman Ron Paul and Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. Two other Democrats have endorsed Trump: Ruben Diaz, Sr., a New York City council person and New York State senator, and Rod Blagojevich, former Illinois governor who was released from prison after Trump pardoned him (Feb. 18, 2020) and cut short his 14-year sentence related to political corruption (News Nation, Aug. 30).

Three current Democratic Party U.S. House of Representatives (i.e., Jared Golden — Maine, Josh Harder — California and Mary Peltola — Alaska) along with three Democrats running against GOP candidates (i.e., Lanon Baccam — Iowa, Adam Frisch — Colorado and Janelle Stelson — Pennsylvania) have not formally endorsed Harris (Politico, Aug. 14). They may throw their support to Trump.

The Guardian reports more than 60 billionaires, technology titans and venture capitalists are backing Trump’s campaign (Sept. 6).

Kamala Harris, Democrat

CNBC News reported on Sept. 24 that 405 economists endorsed vice resident Harris for president over former president Trump.

In a Sept. 18 letter published by the New York Times, 111 former staffers, all Republicans who served in the Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, G.W. Bush and/or Trump administrations or members of Congress, announced they are backing Harris. The former GOP employees wrote: “Of course, we have plenty of honest, ideological disagreements with Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz. That’s to be expected. The alternative, however, is simply untenable.”On Sunday, Sept. 22, a letter released by 741 former national security officials — made up of bipartisan senior leaders — endorsed Harris for president,calling Trump “impulsive and ill-informed” (CNBC).

On Sept. 6, 88 corporate leaders signed a letter endorsing Harris for president. Signers included James Murdoch (an heir to the Murdoch family media empire of Fox News and Wall Street Journal), Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and more than a dozen who made their fortunes on Wall Street (CNBC)

The `Republicans for Harris’ website says “over 100,000 people have joined this campaign within a campaign” (Newsweek, Sept. 5).

Thirty-six news agencies have endorsed Harris for president as compared to seven endorsing Trump’s candidacy.

Traditionally, endorsements have played a major role in giving one side or the other an advantage. With the Trump-Harris race being more deadlocked as compared to previous elections, this may be the year party switchers, billionaires, national security officers, presidential staffers and economists may sway the undecided and irregular voters to determine who will be America’s 47th president.

A special plea to the irregular voters: don’t sit out this election. Vote on Nov. 5 as research is replete the future of democracy is at stake.

Contact Steve Corbin at Steven.B.Corbin@gmail.com