Former Lancaster County GOP chair co-leads ‘Republicans for Harris’ in Pennsylvania

• By Jaxon White/LNP | LancasterOnline

When Donald Trump ran his 2016 presidential campaign, former Lancaster County GOP chair Ann Womble was an early detractor among local Republicans. That year she led a “Stop Trump” effort to decry his candidacy.

Now, eight years after Trump won his first term, Womble is joining Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign to prevent Trump from winning a second term in the White House.

Womble, a Lancaster Township resident who chaired the local GOP from 2012 to 2014, spoke with reporters on a Monday call hosted by Harris’ campaign to announce she is co-chairing the Republicans for Harris initiative in Pennsylvania, along with former Bucks County Congressman Jim Greenwood.

“I do not need a president I agree with on every issue,” Womble, now a registered independent, said. “I need a president I can trust.”

Womble said she can’t trust Trump to “do what is right for this country” and that he’s turned the Republican Party she once belonged to into a “cult of personality.”

Throughout the call, Womble repeatedly cited opposition to Trump’s character as why Republican voters should vote for Harris this year, pointing to the recent Manhattan court ruling finding Trump guilty of 34 felony charges.

“The choice is very asymmetric,” she said. “The issue of character and fitness for office outweighs everything I can imagine.”

Asked which of Harris’ policy positions she supported, Womble cited Harris’ commitment to retain U.S. involvement in NATO, while noting Trump’s hostilities toward the international political and military alliance. In a video on his campaign website, Trump promises to reevaluate “NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission.”

Her oppositional tone toward Trump was matched by Greenwood, who served six Congressional terms from 1993 to 2005.

“I have supported every single Republican candidate for president from Richard Nixon all the way through to (Mitt) Romney,” Greenwood said. “I made an exception and continue to make an exception when it comes to Donald Trump.”

Greenwood voiced similar concerns as Womble about Trump’s character. He also criticized Trump for his alleged involvement in instigating the deadly Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

Greenwood said the coalition of Republicans will support Harris’ campaign by participating in voter outreach, organizing donors and writing opinion pieces for their local newspapers.

Womble, a former LNP | LancasterOnline editorial board community member, has authored multiple articles in recent years critiquing Trump and his support from the Republican Party.

“We do want these voters, as we find them and talk to them, to feel that they’re part of kind of a community,” Womble said.

Womble’s announcement comes two weeks after she pleaded guilty to charges of drinking and driving under the influence on New Year’s Eve last year. She was sentenced to five years of probation.

Responding to Harris’ new initiative, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the former president “is building the largest, most diverse political movement in history because his winning message of putting America first again resonates with Americans of all backgrounds.”

Down-ballot races

Womble said her thoughts on Trump have pushed her away from supporting down-ballot Republican candidates who are affiliated with him, such as senate hopeful Dave McCormick and Congressman Lloyd Smucker, whose district covers Lancaster County and the southern half of York County.

“I will not vote for anyone who supports or excuses Trump for their own career goals,” Womble said, claiming Smucker is a “mouthpiece” for Trump.

In a responding statement, Jenna Reath, Smucker’s spokeswoman, wrote a list of issues she said Smucker advocates for in Congress, including increasing security at the U.S.-Mexico border and improving the country’s economy, energy independence and international standing. She also noted his support of police, “the right to life” and the Second Amendment.

“Ann Womble has been supporting disastrous Democrat policies and candidates for years with a failing electoral record,” Reath said.

Asked to comment on Womble’s new position, current Lancaster County Republican Committee Chairman Kirk Radanovic said, “It’s not surprising given her track record of questionable decisions and endorsements. It’s clear she no longer aligns with Republican values.”

He did not respond to a question asking him to elaborate on his point about her decisions and endorsements.

In last year’s judicial races, when four Lancaster County Court candidates sought three seats on the judge’s bench, Womble worked on the campaign of Karen Maisano, the only candidate not awarded an endorsement from the local Republican committee.

Though she is no longer a registered Republican, Womble said she still considers herself a “Reagan-style” Republican.