The Democratic National Convention kicks off virtually Monday featuring three new “Republican” speakers including Christine Todd Whitman, Susan Molinari, and Meg Whitman in addition to former Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
We knew former Republican Gov. Kasich would be speaking tonight at the Democratic National Convention. But now there are three more Republicans added to the program: former NJ Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, former CA Gov. candidate Meg Whitman and former Rep. Susan Molinari. pic.twitter.com/4QE3A62EO0
— Dan Merica (@merica) August 17, 2020
Despite their previous affiliations with the GOP, all of these women are pro-abortion advocates who have a record of voting or advocating against certain GOP policies.
Featured in a section named “We The People Putting Country Over Party,” other speakers will include Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.).
The first of the “Republicans” is former Governor of New Jersey and former EPA director under George W. Bush, Christine Todd Whitman, who received backlash for her strong distaste for other Republicans and an unapologetic pledge to the pro-abortion movement.
Even though she “proudly insists she is a loyal Republican,” Whitman has also previously expressed her concern with Alabama’s anti-abortion laws, claiming that it would violate women’s abilities to make “intelligent decisions for themselves.”
“I’m always troubled by a group of legislators, first of all Republicans, who should believe in limited government, and puts it into the bedroom and the attitude that women can’t make intelligent decisions for themselves,” the former New Jersey governor told The Tennessean.
In past years, Whitman even testified to opposing “limits on partial-birth abortion.”
Susan Molinari, former representative for Staten Island is the next “Republican” on the schedule. Molinari, a former lobbyist for Google and former senior adviser to Rudy Guiliani, is also notably pro-abortion, in addition to initially showing her support for Michael Bloomberg‘s presidential run which dampens her position with the GOP.
“I fought long and hard as a pro-choice advocate,” Molinari has said.
Molinari gave the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in 1996.
Meg Whitman, CEO of the streaming service Quibi the other speaker featured, also differs from the GOP on many issues such as gun control and abortion. In addition to her socially liberal positions, Whitman also supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and also donated “$500,000 to the Biden Victory Fund at the end of June.”
