Group of business executives endorse Hillary Clinton's campaign

WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- A long list of business leaders announced they are endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, her campaign said Thursday.

The list includes more than 50 business executives, including several Republicans, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Among them was Jim Cicconi, senior vice president of AT&T, who served in both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. Cicconi said he has backed every GOP presidential nominee dating back to 1976, but this year endorsed Clinton because he does not believe her opponent, Republican Donald Trump, is fit to lead the country.

"But this year I think it's vital to put our country's well being ahead of party," he said in a statement provided to the Wall Street Journal by the campaign. "Hillary Clinton is experienced, qualified, and will make a fine president. The alternative, I fear, would set our nation on a very dark path."

Other executives are from a cross-section of the business community, including companies with longstanding household names, such as General Motors, Boeing, Delta Air Lines, Time Warner Cable and DuPont. The list also includes several tech companies that have risen to prominence in digital age, like the room rental service Airbnb, video streaming company Netflix, digital information storage and transfer company Dropbox, the rating site Yelp and Alphabet, the new parent company of Google.

"Trump would destroy much of what is great about America," Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings said in a statement released by Clinton's campaign. "Hillary Clinton is the strong leader we need, and it's important that Trump lose by a landslide to reject what he stands for."

Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and a longtime advocate of liberal causes, is included on the list, as is former NBA star-turned businessman Magic Johnson, who is part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.