Elections

Republican and independent business leaders endorse Clinton

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Aaron P. Bernstein | Getty Images

An increasing number of Republican business leaders are crossing party lines to support Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

As part of a coordinated push, the campaign has launched "Together for America" to lead the campaign's outreach efforts among Republicans and independents.

On the list of nearly 50 Republicans and independents who have endorsed Clinton are several business leaders, including former Secretary of Commerce and Kellogg CEO Carlos Gutierrez and former MGM CEO and Republican fundraiser Harry Sloan.

The newer names join other business leaders, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman, a former GOP candidate for California governor, and independent former New York mayor and billionaire founder of Bloomberg LP Michael Bloomberg, in supporting Clinton.

"Americans are looking to the next president to help bring us together to tackle the big challenges facing the country and Hillary Clinton's bi-partisan support is the latest proof that she can work across the aisle to make us stronger together," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said in a release.

Another prominent name on the list is former Goldman Sachs CEO and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who endorsed Clinton in a Washington Post op-ed in June, writing that "As a Republican looking ahead to November, there are many strong conservative leaders in statehouses across the United States and in Congress, whose candidacies I am actively supporting."

"When it comes to the presidency, I will not vote for Donald Trump," Paulson added.

Other names of Republican and independent business leaders on the list are Joel Flory, co-founder and CEO of VSCO, Matt Higgins, CEO of RSE Ventures and a former press secretary for New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Hamid R. Moghadam, chairman and CEO of Prologis.

On Friday, Trump unveiled his economic policy team, which included a number of top Wall Street and business leaders. He also has received the support of billionaire investor Carl Icahn.

A number of Republican politicians and foreign policy experts are also backing Clinton, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that 1 in 5 Republicans want Trump to end his presidential bid.