Fmr GOP Rep. Charlie Dent Endorses Biden: There Are Many Republicans ‘Unhappy With the Direction of the Party’

For the past few days, there’s been some talk of a former Republican congressman endorsing Joe Biden during the DNC convention. And on CNN Wednesday, that former congressman was revealed at Charlie Dent.

It’s not really a huge surprise, given how critical Dent has been of the president in the past few years. Back in 2017, when Dent said he would be retiring from Congress, he said Trump was one of several factors in his decision. Since then he’s made a number of cable news appearances lamenting the direction of the GOP under Trump and saying that there are plenty of other Republicans like him who can’t stand the president’s behavior.

And as Dent himself told Jake Tapper Wednesday, he didn’t support Trump in 2016 or even vote for him.

The reason he’s actively supporting Biden this time, he argued, is that “I feel that we need to return some sense of normalcy to the function of government. We simply don’t have that now. And that’s why I’m going to be voting for Joe Biden for president.”

Tapper asked him how he would respond to Republicans sticking with Trump who would argue even if they don’t like his personal style, he delivers on some key policy issues.”

Dent responded by saying national security is certainly a policy matter and said, “I never in my wildest dreams thought an American president would be cozying up to somebody like Vladimir Putin and advancing his foreign policy objectives in Europe and the Middle East. On trade I’d never thought we’d have a Republican president who’d be throwing sound tariffs, taxes on American citizens, and being so opposed to opening up markets for American producers.”

He pointed to health care issues too before saying “there are principles greater than a tax cut or lighter regulatory touch… like the rule of law.”

Tapper asked if his endorsement and the endorsement of other former Republican officeholders like John Kasich will actually make a difference in the race.

Dent said they “might have some sway” with people “who find themselves somewhere between center-right and center-left on the political spectrum.”

“I do think there are many people in this country who are Republicans and who are unhappy with the direction of the party,” he continued, “that the party has become too socially intolerant, has not been constructive on the international stage, and I think we have to get back to free markets and reasonable regulation and we need to get to a better place as a party. We are simply not there, and there are many Republicans who agree with me on this. They might not be stating it the way I am. But I can assure you I hear from them regularly about the sad state of affairs right now in the party.”

You can watch above, via CNN.