UPDATED 10/7/2016:
In rapid succession this month, a number of notable Republican leaders and figures have joined the ranks of fellow “I won’t vote for Donald Trump” GOP and conservative leaders to pledge that they will never support Trump – and outlining why we all must place patriotism and country over party.
Among the latest additions:
Daniel Akerson, former head of General Motors and life-long Republican voter, says he will vote for Hillary Clinton over Trump: “Trump has appealed to the lowest common denominators in our society: prejudice, xenophobia and intolerance. He has mocked people with disabilities, tarred ethnic minorities, demeaned women and insulted religious leaders, including the pope.”
Richard Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State and adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush: Trump “doesn’t appear to be a Republican, he doesn’t appear to want to learn about issues. So I’m going to vote for Mrs. Clinton.”
Sally Bradshaw, former senior aide to Jeb Bush and co-author of the RNC’s 2013 “autopsy report”: “This election cycle is a test. As much as I don’t want another four years of Obama’s policies, I can’t look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump. I can’t tell them to love their neighbor and treat others the way they wanted to be treated, and then vote for Donald Trump. I won’t do it.”
Jim Cicconi, former senior aide to Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush: “Hillary Clinton is experienced, qualified and will make a fine president. The alternative, I fear, would set our nation on a very dark path.”
Senator Susan Collins of Maine: “I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president. This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country.”
Maria Comella, former senior aide to Gov. Chris Christie: Comella announced her plan to vote for Hillary Clinton and said, “Donald Trump has been a demagogue this whole time, preying on people’s anxieties with loose information and salacious rhetoric, drumming up fear and hatred of the ‘other.’”
Doug Elmets, former spokesman for President Reagan: “I could live with four years of Hillary Clinton before I could ever live with one day of Donald Trump as President.”
Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona: “I would like to vote for Donald Trump. It’s not comfortable to not support your nominee. But, given the positions that he has taken and the tone and tenor of his campaign, I simply can’t.”
Charles Fried, former US Solicitor General under President Reagan: “Though long a registered Republican, this will be the third consecutive presidential election in which my party forces the choice between party and, in John McCain’s words, putting America first.”
Cindy Guerra, former Broward Chair and Regional Deputy Attorney General under Bill McCollum and Pam Bondi, says she will vote for Clinton over Trump: “I cannot see a President Trump. To me it’s a matter of country over party — as cheesy and goofy as that sounds — it’s true. Trump is not fit to be president. I don’t think he has the demeanor. I think he is sexist, bigoted and narcissistic and uninformed. He is not stable.”
Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY), the first sitting Republican member of Congress to announce support for Clinton over Trump: “For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country…I can’t look back in my life when I leave this job and know that I didn’t speak the truth when it was important to do so.”
Juan Hernandez, Latino Outreach Director for the 2008 John McCain Presidential campaign: “I cannot keep my dignity and my honor (and true loyalty to the GOP) and support the Republican presidential nominee.”
David Irvine, former chairman of the Davis County Republican Party and a former Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives, says he will vote for Clinton over Trump: “I’ve been an active Republican for all of my adult life. That this venerable political party, once home to visionary thinkers and leaders, could hand its presidential nomination to Trump, who seems not to know how much he doesn’t know and could not care less, is unfathomable to me. It is unfortunate that so many of those who claim to be leaders of the congressional and presidential wings of the Republican Party have long since made their Faustian bargains and are actively endorsing a totally self-centered know-nothing who behaves like the caricature of a banana-republic dictator.”
Frank Lavin, former political director under President Reagan: “Trump falls short in terms of the character and behavior needed to perform as president. This defect is crippling and ensures he would fail in office.”
Henry M. Paulson Jr., the former Treasury Secretary under President George W. Bush: “Republicans stand at a crossroads. With Donald Trump as the presumptive presidential nominee, we are witnessing a populist hijacking of one of the United States’ great political parties. The GOP, in putting Trump at the top of the ticket, is endorsing a brand of populism rooted in ignorance, prejudice, fear and isolationism. This troubles me deeply as a Republican, but it troubles me even more as an American. Enough is enough. It’s time to put country before party and say it together: Never Trump.”
Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA) says he will endorse Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson over Trump: Back in March, Rigell said “I believe that Republican voters have got a reason to be upset and angry, but I’m submitting to them that the solution is not Donald Trump in any respect.”
Kori Schake, former senior defense and National Security Council official under President W. Bush: “Watching the British debate on the referendum about the EU, I don’t want to wake up the morning after the election, and think, ‘Oh my God, all of us who could have prevented this didn’t do enough.'”
Brent Scowcroft, senior aide to three previous Republican Presidents: “The presidency requires the judgment and knowledge to make tough calls under pressure…. [Clinton] has the wisdom and experience to lead our country at this critical time.”
Former Rep. Vin Weber (R-MN): Weber called Trump “a mistake of historic proportions” and noted, “I won’t vote for Trump…I can’t imagine I’d remain a Republican if he becomes president…I don’t know how the Republican Party survives if Trump becomes president.”
Lezlee Westine, senior aide to President Bush: “Our nation faces a unique set of challenges that require steady and experienced leadership. She has the expertise and commitment to American values to grow the economy, create jobs and protect America at home and abroad.”
Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO and Republican California gubernatorial candidate, says she will vote for Clinton over Trump: Whitman announced her plans to support Clinton and called Trump, “a dishonest demagogue,” who could lead America “on a very dangerous journey…Time and again history has shown that when demagogues have gotten power or come close to getting power, it usually does not end well…[Trump already has] undermined the character of the nation.”
In an open letter, a group of 30 former members of the House of Representatives have pledged to oppose Donald Trump on Election Day, saying: “In nominating Donald Trump, the Republican Party has asked the people of the United States to entrust their future to a man who insults women, mocks the handicapped, urges that dissent be met with violence, seeks to impose religious tests for entry into the United States, and applies a de facto ethnicity test to judges. He offends our allies and praises dictators. His public statements are peppered with lies. He belittles our heroes and insults the parents of men who have died serving our country. Every day brings a fresh revelation that highlights the unacceptable danger in electing him to lead our nation.”