More than 700 current and former national security leaders, as well as former military officials, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in a letter released Sunday, arguing that only she had the temperament and values needed to serve as commander in chief.

The signatories of the letter, which was organized by the group National Security Leaders for America, included former secretaries of state and secretaries of defense, former ambassadors and retired generals. They argued that former President Donald Trump posed a threat to both national security and the United States’ democratic system.

Among the most prominent names were former defense secretaries Chuck Hagel, a Republican who served under President Barack Obama; William Cohen, a Republican who served under President Bill Clinton; and William J. Perry, a Democrat who served under Clinton.

Former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, and former defense secretary Leon Panetta, also signed the letter, though their support for Harris was already clear.

The retired military leaders who signed included Rear Adm. Michael E. Smith, the president of the organization that released the letter, and Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who led the CIA under President George W. Bush.

“This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness,” the letter said. “It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.”

It continued: “We do not make such an assessment lightly. We are trained to make sober, rational decisions,” and added: “We know effective leadership requires in-depth knowledge, careful deliberation, understanding of your adversaries and empathy for those you lead. It requires listening to those with expertise and not firing them when they disagree with you.”

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, said the signatories were “the same people who got our country into endless foreign wars and profited off of them while the American people suffered.”

Harris raises $27M in NY fundraiser

Harris raised $27 million at a packed New York City fundraiser on Sunday, her largest fundraising haul since she took over at the top of the ticket from President Joe Biden, according to a Harris campaign aide.

Though Harris has far more money than Trump, the money will be needed to compete with pricey advertising by deep-pocketed outside groups that support Trump, said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private fundraising details.

The blockbuster fundraiser was held at Cipriani Wall Street in a massive Greek Revival ballroom with over a dozen columns. Much of the crowd stood shoulder to shoulder as Harris needled Trump for refusing to debate her again.

“My opponent seems to be looking for an excuse,” Harris told the crowd. “I feel very strongly that we owe it to the American people, to the voters, to meet once more before Election Day.”

Trump has rejected more debates, saying Saturday that “it’s just too late.”

“Voting is already started,” he said at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina. Voters cast the first in-person ballots last week in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, the states with the first early in-person voting opportunities. About a dozen more states will follow by mid-October.

Harris also said she would deliver a speech Wednesday outlining her economic vision, saying there is “more we can do to invest in the aspirations and ambitions of the American people while addressing the challenges they face.”

Polls favor Harris

Harris is leading Trump in two national polls of registered voters released Sunday, underscoring her momentum as the U.S. presidential candidates grapple for a boost with early voting underway in several states.

Harris leads the former president and Republican nominee by 49% to 44%, which falls within the margin of error, in an NBC News poll conducted Sept. 13-17. She leads Trump 52% to 48% in a Sept. 18-20 CBS/Ipsos poll, conducted entirely after the apparent assassination attempt on Trump at his Florida golf course on Sept. 15.

Harris’ overall favorability has gained 16 percentage points in NBC’s polling compared to before she entered the presidential race in July. Just 32% of registered voters said they viewed the vice president in a positive light at the time, compared with 48% in the latest survey.

The network said it’s the largest increase any candidate has had in its polling since then President George W. Bush’s approval rating rose in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US.

CBS rated all of the seven key swing states in its polling model as toss-ups, with Harris holding an edge within the margin of error in all but two.