Former George W. Bush alumni endorse Biden

Nearly two dozen former officials who served in President George W. Bush’s administration endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday.

An announcement from the group first obtained by Politico highlighted the endorsements from Carlos Gutierrez, Bush’s former Commerce secretary, and a number of other former officials.

“Ultimately, we are looking for a president to lead. We need someone who will quickly course correct and show us the path forward. We need Joe Biden to restore character, integrity and decency to the White House,” the Bush alumni wrote in the announcement, which was shared by the Biden campaign.

“We must step up, get out of our comfort zone, and vote for Joe Biden. It is time for us to have initiative in our communities and networks to stand up for character, integrity, decency, and leadership. We the people need to step up and vote our conscience so Joe Biden can capably lead this country into the future,” they added.

President Trump’s efforts to win reelection have for months been opposed by Republican strategists and activists, including Steve Schmidt, former Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign manager, who formed The Lincoln Project earlier this year in an effort to block Trump’s reelection bid.

Other former aides of McCain and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, have also announced their support of Biden.

And a group of former Trump administration officials, led by former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor, moved this month to form a group dedicated to Biden’s election. That group is reportedly seeking dozens of former GOP officials for its own anti-Trump efforts.

Biden leads the president in battleground states seen as key to the November election, but the race has tightened in recent weeks and he now leads the president by single digits in several states.