Former GOP Rep. Charlie Dent endorses Biden

Former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.) announced Wednesday he is endorsing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Dent, who becomes the latest GOP figure to back Biden’s White House bid, acknowledged he has policy disagreements with the former vice president but touted him as an alternative to President Trump, whom he called “a threat to the rule of law and functional democracy.”

“Biden is fundamentally a decent and honorable man who respects the American tradition, supports the rule of law, embraces America’s friends and allies, and will restore some semblance of normalcy to the functioning of government,” Dent wrote in an op-ed published by CNN. 

“That’s all I want — and not too much to ask of a President. Biden will perform these duties respectfully and with dignity,” wrote the former Pennsylvania lawmaker, who also declined to support Trump in 2016.

“At the end of the day, this really isn’t about right or left. It’s not about ideology … For me it’s about right or wrong, stability versus instability, security versus insecurity, normal versus abnormal,” Dent added in an interview on CNN.

Former GOP @RepCharlieDent endorses Joe Biden for president. “At the end of the day, this really isn’t about right or left. It’s not about ideology. … For me it’s about right or wrong. Stability versus instability.” pic.twitter.com/o0dKxc55V6

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) August 19, 2020

Dent, a moderate Republican who served in Congress from 2005 to 2018, said he hopes that if elected Biden “can resist the extreme demands from the left wing of his party.” 

The former GOP lawmaker wrote that Trump is “not a conservative,” but rather an “illiberal populist and nativist whose chaotic approach and managerial malfeasance have undermined the functioning of government.”

He slammed the president’s “utterly incoherent and ineffective response to the global pandemic” as well as Trump’s attacks on the media and his communication with other world leaders.

Dent’s support comes after several high-profile Republicans have endorsed Biden, including several who spoke earlier this week at the Democratic National Convention. 

Dent has worked at a law and lobbying firm since stepping down from Congress in 2018. He works at DLA Piper, the same firm where Douglas Emhoff — the husband of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) — has worked.

Emhoff took a leave of absence from the firm as Harris runs on the Democratic ticket as Biden’s running mate.