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40 prominent Republicans (and counting) who won't support Trump

Updated by Tara Golshan and Sarah Frostenson on August 15, 2016, 8:50 a.m. ET

For months, Donald Trump’s rise in the Republican Party silenced conservative elites.

Unable to go against the public, yet weary of his bombast and seemingly loose party allegiance, traditional Republicans largely stayed out of primary politics.

But now as Trump — the official Republican nominee — stands votes away from the presidency, more and more high-profile Republicans are breaking their silence: They cannot and will not vote for Trump in November.

"I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president," Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) wrote for the Washington Post on August 8.
[ http://www.vox.com/2016/8/8/12408382/susan-collins-donald-trump ]
"Regrettably, his essential character appears to be fixed, and he seems incapable of change or growth."

Speculation that Trump would "change" for the general election proved improbable after the Republican and Democratic conventions.
[ http://www.vox.com/2016/8/3/12367230/trump-post-convention-meltdown-explained ]
Republicans hoping for some semblance of party unity, the Paul Ryans and Mitch McConnells, still find themselves condemning Trump’s inflammatory comments. For others, denouncing Trump isn’t enough.

"For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country,"
[ http://www.vox.com/2016/8/2/12353496/richard-hanna-endorse-hillary ] Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) wrote in the Syracuse Post-Standard on August 2. He is voting for Hillary Clinton instead.

But jumping on Team Clinton is not an easy shift for most Republicans. Jeb Bush won’t do it: He will vote neither Trump nor Clinton and "will support principled conservatives at the state and federal levels" instead.

His former communications adviser had more condemnatory wishes: "I’m in the camp that thinks that it’s important for him to suffer a humiliating defeat in November," Tim Miller told Vox’s Andrew Prokop.

To date, Vox has found 40 prominent Republicans, from former governors and former presidential candidates to conservative pundits and high-profile aides, who have all said they cannot support Trump. However, among those who have spoken out, most are seasoned faces in the party. More active Republican politicians are still trying to strike a balance. For them, condemning Trump means separating from the wishes of the Republican electorate.


40 prominent Republicans (and counting) who won't support Trump:
See graphic display for all with names, titles and photos, (in middle of article)
http://www.vox.com/2016/8/15/12444376/top-republicans-wont-support-donald-trump

Active Republicans have more at stake with Trump

The clear divide between Republicans willing to speak out against Trump and those who have supported him is political future.

This is no more apparent than in the Bush family: While Jeb Bush has publicly said he will not vote for Trump, and George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush said they will not be participating in this presidential campaign, Jeb Bush’s son George P. Bush came out in support of Trump — albeit a bit begrudgingly. Unlike his father, uncle, and grandfather, he will likely be running for office again.

For active Republican politicians to go against Trump they must either defy their voter base or criticize aspects of the GOP ideology. Neither is politically feasible in the long run.

Sen. Ted Cruz attempted it at the Republican convention, patently avoiding a Trump endorsement while trying to speak to the future of the Republican Party. Since then, Cruz’s approval favorability rating has plummeted.

So instead, you get the Ryan and McConnell awkward denouncing-but-still-supporting vote, or the Clinton-bashing Scott Walker types.

"It’s a little bit of every person for themselves," University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden told me during the Republican convention. "A lot of people are there to think about their future in the party. Skipping [the convention was] not a viable option, but they don't want to be attached to a sinking ship."

Treading that line with Trump has proved difficult. Now it is just a waiting game: Will Trump say something so morally obtrusive that active Republicans will have no choice but to speak out? Or will the "not Trump" Republican camp remain the voice of those no longer in the spotlight?

http://www.vox.com/2016/8/15/12444376/top-republicans-wont-support-donald-trump