Former Lehigh Valley GOP congressman Charlie Dent endorses Kamala Harris

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, who represented the Lehigh Valley area from 2005 to 2018, is endorsing Kamala Harris for president.

In a statement, the Allentown native said he cast his ballot for Kamala Harris by mail last week.

“Since the moment he rode down the gilded escalator in 2015, Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his unfitness to hold public office, culminating with his worst moment on Jan. 6, 2021. That day he incited a mob to attack the Capitol in a violent attempt to overturn the results of a democratic election and cling to power,” Dent said.

Dent is known for his moderate, bipartisan record as a congressman; he broke with his party on a few occasions to support measures like funding embryonic stem-cell research and repealing the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on openly gay service members.

“[Harris] and I will not agree on every issue, but in her, we have a capable leader who will always put the interests of our country before her own, unlike her opponent who will always put his personal interests ahead of those of the United States,” Dent said in his statement.

Dent served seven terms in Congress before opting not to run again in 2018; he said at the time the decision was based in part on the political atmosphere in Washington. In 2021, he was appointed as director of the Washington think tank Aspen Institute’s Congressional Program.

Dent’s endorsement comes as Harris’ campaign bolsters its outreach to Republican and moderate voters. Harris on Wednesday held a “Republicans for Harris” event in Bucks County, where she urged people registered with the GOP to “choose country over party” and criticized Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Dent has endorsed Democrats several times in past elections — he endorsed Joe Biden over Trump in 2020 and also endorsed Josh Shapiro for governor instead of Republican candidate Doug Mastriano.

Liz Cheney, another Republican and former member of Congress, has also endorsed Harris and, this week, endorsed U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, who succeeded Dent and is running for her fourth term representing the Lehigh Valley area. Wild faces Republican state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in that race.

Polling predicts a tight race for the presidency in Pennsylvania. Harris has just a 0.3% lead on Trump, according to an average of 79 polls compiled by The Hill.

Election day is Nov. 5. The last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Oct 21.