In a new article for the Des Moines Register, Dawn Roberts — who helped lead Republican candidate Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign in Iowa — endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris ahead of this year’s general election.
Besides working on Haley’s campaign, Roberts has also held leadership responsibilities within the Republican Party, formerly chairing the Polk County Republican Party — and once running for Secretary of State in Iowa as the Republican Party’s nominee. And Roberts’ late husband, Steve Roberts, was a state chair for the Republicans in Iowa.
In her article, Roberts characterized Harris as exemplifying a real interest in bringing Americans together.
“This year’s Democratic National Convention was almost perfect. Harris had the ability to unite her party immediately. She said she wanted to be the president for “all of the people.” She allowed representatives from a variety of views from her own party, the Republican Party, and world leaders such as Leon Panetta, former defense secretary, to participate in the convention,” she wrote.
Roberts also pointed out that Harris has expressed openness to making a Republican part of her Cabinet if she is elected to the White House. “All of these statements lead me to believe that she truly has the skills needed to bring us together as a country and, hopefully, the world,” Roberts added.
Iowa tends to lean Republican — but not exclusively. Barack Obama actually won the state both times that he ran for president, in 2008 and 2012. And before that, there was a streak of Democratic wins in general elections in the state in the ’80s and ’90s, though Donald Trump went on to nab victories there in both the 2016 and 2020 races for president.
Harris, meanwhile, has racked up a growing list of Republican supporters, including more than 200 individuals who’ve worked for four different Republican presidents and presidential nominees.
