USADaily -
Boom! Republican Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has just published an op ed in the Washington Post announcing that she will not be voting for Donald Trump in the fall.
Collins is the first Republican Senator to publicly abandon Trump.
Though Ted Cruz sure doesn’t sound like he’s going to vote for Trump, he has not yet said publicly that he won’t vote for the GOP nominee.
Collins has now made it crystal clear.
Here’s a key point from Collins’ op ed:
GOP Senator Susan Collins of Maine.
I had hoped that we would see a “new” Donald Trump as a general-election candidate — one who would focus on jobs and the economy, tone down his rhetoric, develop more thoughtful policies and, yes, apologize for ill-tempered rants. But the unpleasant reality that I have had to accept is that there will be no “new” Donald Trump, just the same candidate who will slash and burn and trample anything and anyone he perceives as being in his way or an easy scapegoat. Regrettably, his essential character appears to be fixed, and he seems incapable of change or growth.
Wow.
And while Trump will try to say that this is the “Washington elite,” so who cares, I think lots of people care. Collins, like Meg Whitman before her, will provide cover for others wishing to dump Trump, and this will include GOP donors who will start getting colder and colder feet about supporting Trump. It also gives pause to all those in the middle, including moderate Republicans, who are really unsure about Trump right now. While it’s en vogue to claim that no one should trust “the establishment,” most people accept the fact that experience matters — and when someone with experience, like Susan Collins, tells you they won’t vote for Trump, it gives an intelligent person pause.
I also saw today that the Reagan White House political director — a big job — came out and said he’s not voting for Trump either. As did GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger a few days ago.
This is not the kind of news you want, or expect, after your nominee is chosen.
I also predicted last week that the steady drip-drip of anti-Trump testimonials would grow as the election approached, and senior Republicans realized that Trump is going to lose. Trump may very well jeopardize GOP control of the House and Senate. And if you’re a Republican, that matters more to you than supporting a nutjob who increasingly appears to be losing this race.
Follow me on Twitter: @aravosis — Win a pony! (not really)
Source
