Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen is backing Vice President Kamala Harris for president, adding his name to a growing list of Republicans backing the Democratic nominee over former Republican President Donald Trump.

Secretary of Defense William Cohen Associated Press, file

Cohen, a Bangor native who also represented Maine in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, explained his endorsement in an opinion column this week in the Wall Street Journal, highlighting the warnings coming from former high-ranking officials during Trump’s first term.

“Many prominent officials who served in Mr. Trump’s administration have declared that he poses a clear and present danger to the foundations of our democracy and that he is unfit to serve as our commander in chief,” Cohen wrote in the WSJ. “Those who know him best respect him least. They have given us fair warning.”

Trump’s campaign did not reply to an email asking for a response to Cohen’s column.

Cohen’s endorsement is not a surprise. He has opposed Trump in every election, supporting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 and President Biden in 2020.

But it comes after John Kelley, a former Marine general and Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, went on the record with the New York Times to talk about his concerns about a second Trump presidency, highlighting the former president’s threats to turn the military against U.S. citizens and his admiration for the Nazi generals that unquestioningly served Adolf Hitler.

Cohen, who served as defense secretary under former Democratic President Bill Clinton, was among a group of 741 former national security and military officials who signed an open letter last month endorsing Harris’s candidacy over Trump, whom they described as “impulsive and ill-informed” and “not up to the job.”

“This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness,” the group said. “It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.”

Cohen is among a growing number of Republicans opposing Trump’s reelection bid. Vice President Mike Pence, who was targeted by an angry mob that rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of the election, will not endorse Trump.

Other Trump administration officials are opposing his reelection, including chief of staff Mark Esper, Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and national security adviser John Bolton. And other prominent Republicans, including former Sen. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, have endorsed Harris.

The Harris campaign has been highlighting support from national and local Republicans in an effort to erode Trump’s support, especially among Republicans who backed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the Republican primary.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Maine’s senior senator, has said she plans to write-in Haley’s name, rather than vote for Trump or Harris.

In Maine, 28,000 voters backed Haley over Trump during the primary.

Maine is one of two states, along with Nebraska, that splits its electoral votes by congressional district. Two electoral votes are awarded to the statewide winner and one vote is awarded to the winner of each of the state’s two congressional districts.

Political analysts say there is one election night scenario, however unlikely, in which Trump will need to win Maine’s 2nd District to earn the 270 electoral votes needed to become president. Trump was the first candidate to split Maine’s electoral votes in 2016 by winning the more conservative 2nd District, while Clinton won the state and 1st District. He won the district again in 2020, while Biden won statewide and the 1st District.

The Harris campaign is highlighting support from former Maine Republican Party executive directors Tony Payne, Jay Hibbard and Don Bourassa; former party chairs Ted O’Meara, Ken Cole, Robert Monks and Mark Ellis; former assistant Republican leader Roger Katz; and former lawmaker and gubernatorial candidate Peter Mills, the brother of Gov. Janet Mills.

Cohen highlighted the dangers of Trump’s international isolationism and his willingness to turn his back on America’s allies while heaping praise on dictators such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

He praised Harris for valuing international alliances, supporting Ukraine’s efforts to ward off Russia’s invasion and for urging Israel to use restraint and avoid civilian casualties in responding to the Hamas’s terrorist attack last year.

Cohen said these policy differences “pale in comparison” to their differences in character and “emotional stability.”

“Ms. Harris has promised to try to bridge America’s racial, ethnic, economic and cultural divides. That is a message that should be welcomed abroad and at home,” Cohen said.

“Mr. Trump has declared that his mission isn’t reconciliation but vengeance and retribution against those he considers ‘enemies of the American people.’ That is a designation normally reserved for foreign adversaries. But for Mr. Trump it includes members of our military, journalists, political officeholders and judges.”