A group of prominent Greek Americans and office-holders issued a enthusiastic print statement over the weekend in favor of Democrat contender Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, days after a closed-door fundraiser for the Trump campaign was held in Philadelphia by another influential group of Greek Americans.
As the US presidential election heads into a final stretch and with polls showing the two main candidates in practically a “dead heat”, sizable numbers of Greek American voters and Americans of Greek origin living in a handful of “swing states”, such as Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois, are up for grabs.
In their statement, supporters of US Vice President Harris and Minnesota Governor Walz stated that “…we are proud members of an American community with a strong and distinctive cultural heritage of democracy. We believe our collective voice matters to preserve and advance the ideals that strengthen our community and country. This is why we are endorsing Kamala Harris for President of the United States.”
The statement was published as a full-page ad in the New York Times, with signatories including Hollywood “heavyweight” Tom Hanks, one-time US presidential contender and Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, another ex-governor from the same state, Eleni Kounalakis and lobbyist Endy Zemenides.
“In our great nation of immigrants, our families’ stories and Greek heritage embody the American Dream… The values of filoxenia (hospitality), filotimo (honor), eleftheria (freedom) and demokratia (democracy), central to Greek American identity, are reflected in Vice President Harris’s life and career… We stand with Vice President Harris in her push for strong border security and comprehensive immigration reform that is fair, just, and humane,” the statement added.
The statement emphasizes that the election is “not just about policy but about preserving ideals that strengthen our community and country.”
