Certainly criticism of Donald Trump is nothing new, but when it comes from a formerly loyal Republican it carries more weight.
Hopkinton Select Board member Brian Herr was a Republican until two years ago, when he could no longer stomach the “negative and divisive” leadership he was seeing from the president. Herr, who was the Republicans’ nominee for U.S. Senate in 2014 (he lost to Ed Markey), ultimately switched to independent status.
With Joe Biden closing in on a victory that would end Trump’s stay in the White House, the president lobbed a number of wild and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud Thursday night. Devout supporters, including some in Massachusetts, seized on the claims and planned rallies to protest the alleged fraud.
Herr received an email Thursday from former Republican candidate for U.S. Representative John Paul Moran asking him to attend a “Rally in support of President Trump and against rampant voter fraud and the Democrats’ attempt to steal the presidential election.”
Herr shared his response with the media. It read:
“Mr. Moran, over the last 18 years I have run for elected office 7 times (5 wins/2 losses) as a registered Republican in Massachusetts. You have run only once, correct? There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Massachusetts. There never has been. Jumping in on Trump’s baseless attacks against our sacred election process is pathetic and dangerous. Your [naiveté] is understandable given your lack of political experience. Trump’s endless ignorance is nothing short of a national tragedy.”
Thank you to Select Board member Herr for his even handedness in this matter, and for sticking to the facts. As a Hopkinton resident, I appreciate knowing that even though we don’t agree on everything (and we’re not supposed to in a democracy), we do agree on ground rules of fairness that encourage informed discussion and debate.
Thank you, Mr. Herr, for taking a stand against harmful lies and elevating the truth in favor of preserving our precious democracy.