FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News

Republican leaders who have ditched Donald Trump — so far

The past 24 hours have been rough for the Republican Party. On Friday evening, a tape surfaced from 2005 featuring Donald Trump boasting about his ability to sexually assault women. In the immediate hours since, there has been an avalanche of outrage and condemnation coming from all corners of the Republican party.

Almost 20 elected Republicans who previously endorsed Trump have pulled their support. Dozens more have said they would not be voting for him in November or have called on him to step aside. But plenty of other senior Republicans — including House Speaker Paul Ryan and RNC chair Reince Priebus — have condemned Trump’s lewd remarks but have not said they won’t be voting for him.

Advertisement

Many of the Republican leaders who have backed off from Trump are either women, Mormon or evangelical Christians. Per 538’s tally, 32 percent of female officials have said they do not support him, versus just 10 percent of male Republicans.

While the flood of Republicans denouncing Trump doesn’t seem to be slowing, the GOP nominee made it clear he is not backing down.

As of 6 p.m. on Saturday, here are the Republicans who’ve bailed on Trump:

* = previously endorsed

Said they won’t vote for Trump and/or rescinded prior endorsement:

Sen. John McCain (Arizona)

“Donald Trump’s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy.”
— Sen. John McCain (Arizona)

Rep. Mike Coffman, (Colorado)

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (California) “For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President.”

Rep. Barbara Comstock (Virginia)

Rep. Mike Coffman (Colorado)

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire): “cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska): Trump “not only objectified women, he bragged about preying upon them.”

Rep. Martha Roby* (Alabama)*

Rep. Joe Heck (Nevada) and running for Senate*

Rep. Mia Love (Utah): “His behavior and bravado have reached a new low.”

Advertisement

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah)*: “This is so over the top, it is not even acceptable in locker rooms. It shouldn’t be acceptable anywhere. We are talking about the president of the United States. I want somebody of high moral values.”

Sen. Mike Lee (Utah): “It has occurred to me on countless occasions today that if anyone to spoke to my wife, or my daughter, or my mother, or any of my five sisters the way Mr. Trump has spoken to women, I wouldn’t hire that person. I certainly don’t think I’d be comfortable hiring that person to be the leader of the free world.”

Gov. Gary Herbert (Utah)*

Sen. Mike Crapo, (Idaho)* Trump’s comments are ” disrespectful, profane and demeaning … Trump’s most recent excuse of ‘locker room talk’ is completely unacceptable”

Sen. Cory Gardner (Colorado)*: Donald Trump is a “candidate whose flaws are beyond mere moral shortcomings and who shows a disgust for American character and a disdain for dignity unbecoming of the Presidency.”

Former Gov. Jon Huntsman (Utah)

Rep. Rodney Davis (Illinois)

Rep. Cresent Hardy (Nevada)

Rep. Tom Rooney (Florida)

Rep. Steve Knight (California)

Sen. Deb Fischer, (Nebraska)

Rep. Erik Paulsen (Minnesota)

Gov. Rob Bentley, (Alabama)

Sen. Mark Kirk, (Illinois)

“DJT is a malignant clown – unprepared and unfit to be president of the United States.” — Sen. Mark Kirk

Called on Trump to drop out but hasn’t said what they’ll do if he doesn’t

Condoleezza Rice, Former Secretary of State under George W. Bush

Sen. Jeff Flake (Arizona)
Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota

Advertisement

Rep. Ann Wagner (Missouri)* As an advocate for victims of sex trafficking and assault, “I must be true to those survivors and myself and condemn the predatory and reprehensible comments of Donald Trump.”

Sen. Shelly Moore Capito, (West Virginia)*

Sen. John Thune, (South Dakota)

Gov. Dennis Daugaard, (South Dakota)

Carly Fiorina, former Republican presidential candidate

Rep. Martha Roby, (Alabama)

Rep. Bradley Byrne (Alabama)*

Rep. Charlie Dent (Pennsylvania)

Rep. Scott Garrett (New Jersey)*

Sen. Dan Sullivan (Alaska)*

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (Nebraska)

Rep. Chris Stewart (Utah)

Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa): “There is no excuse, and no room for such reprehensible and objectifying talk about anyone, ever.”

Sen. Deb Fischer (Nebraska)

Criticized but will still endorse/vote for Trump

Paul Ryan, House Speaker: “I am sickened by what I heard today…Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified.”

Reince Priebus, chair of the Republican National Committee

Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) “These comments are disturbing and inappropriate”

Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida) “Donald’s comments were vulgar, egregious & impossible to justify.”

Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio)

Sen. Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania)

Sen. Richard Burr (North Carolina)

Rep. Dave Brat (Virginia)

Rep. Rob Bishop (Utah); The video “saddens me and again lowers the political rhetoric of this election year” but “Unless he resigns, I must support the Republican nominee as my only option”

Advertisement

Gov. Scott Walker (Wisconsin)

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (California), House Majority Leader

Gov. Rick Scott (Florida)

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas)

Dr. Ben Carson, former Republican presidential candidate

Sen. Joni Ernst, (Iowa)

Sen. Rand Paul (Kentucky)

Sen. Orrin Hatch, (Utah)

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (California), House Maj. Leader

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (Washington)

Sen. Roy Blunt, (Missouri)

Sen. David Purdue, (Georgia)

Sen. Rand Paul, (Kentucky)

Rep. Steve Scalise, (Louisiana), House Maj. Whip.

Never Trump, Still Never Trump

Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida: “no apology can excuse away Donald Trump’s reprehensible comments degrading women.”

Sen. Ben Sasse(Nebraska)

Gov. John Kasich (Ohio)

Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential nominee

Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)

No response

John Boehner, former House Speaker

Bob Dole, former Kansas senator

Dick Cheney, former Vice President

Newt Gingrich, former House Speaker

Rep. Raul Labrador (Idaho)

Sen. Jeff Sessions (Alabama)

Gov. Chris Christie (New Jersey)

Trent Lott, former Mississippi senator

Bobby Jindal, former Louisiana governor

Rick Santorum, former senator from Pennsylvania

Follow Olivia Becker and Tess Owen on Twitter: @OliviaLBecker and @misstessowen