Former Republican US senator endorses Kamala Harris, says election offers 'stark choice'

EXCLUSIVE: Three more Republicans are crossing the aisle to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House.

Former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, R-Kan., former Kansas state senator and Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger and Deanell Reece Tacha, a retired federal judge, condemned the current state of the GOP in a statement shared with Fox News Digital Thursday.

"This election presents a stark choice that is not easy for any of us. The Republican Party of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bob Dole, Frank Carlson, Jan Meyers, and generations of Kansas leaders does not exist within the current Republican Party," the former officials wrote.

"But, it requires Republicans speaking out and putting country over party when those values are at stake."

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Retired Republican Sen. Nancy Kassebaum led a group of Kansas GOP women in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris (Getty Images)

They added that the race between Harris and former President Trump presented a "stark choice," but not an easy one.

"No candidate is perfect, and we do not pretend that we subscribe to all the policy positions taken either by the national parties or any individual candidates," they wrote.

"However, we fervently believe that we must do our part to try to build a brighter future, which is why we will be voting for Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz] in this election. We believe they most closely align with the aspirations of Kansans and reflect our rich history of working together ‘to the stars through difficulty.’"

All three have backed Democrats in recent elections, however.

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Kassebaum, who now goes by Nancy Kassebaum Baker, served in the U.S. Senate from December 1978 through January 1997. 

She was the first woman elected to represent Kansas in the chamber, and her career included a stint as chair of the Senate Labor Committee.

Deanell Reece Tacha was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit by former President Reagan in 1985 (Getty Images)

Tacha was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit by former President Reagan in 1985 and served as chief judge from 2001 until 2008.

Praeger served as the Kansas Insurance commissioner from 2003 to 2015.

Harris’ campaign has made a point of courting Republicans in a bid to widen her appeal and cast Trump as an extreme and polarizing choice.

A majority of Republicans, particularly those still in elected office, do support Trump.  

The vice president has scored support from several notable GOP figures, however. Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Trump administration aides Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye have all publicly stated support for Harris.

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Troye is one of several people who headlined a Republicans for Harris event Thursday alongside former representatives Barbara Comstock, R-Va., and Denver Riggleman, R-Va.

A new Marist College poll found Harris and Trump neck and neck in three critical states.

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., is among Republicans who already have declared support for Harris. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The two candidates are tied at 49% among likely voters in North Carolina, while Trump slightly edges Harris in Georgia and Arizona 50% to 49% in both states.

Those statewide polls were conducted Sept. 19-24.

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Asked for comment on the Kansas Republicans' endorsement, the Harris campaign sent Fox News Digital a broader statement on the Republicans for Harris initiative.

"The Vice President is bringing together voters from across the political spectrum by running a campaign about freedom, democracy and opportunity," said Austin Weatherford, National Republican Outreach Director.

"Our Republicans for Harris program is taking that unifying, inspiring message to anti-Trump Republicans, moderates and independents. While we’re seeing a surge in support, we aren’t taking anyone for granted."

The Trump campaign said of the Harris endorsement, "Nobody knows who these people are, and nobody cares."