GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte: ‘I Will Not Vote For Donald Trump’
“Instead will be writing in Governor Pence for President on Election Day,” she says
Rosemary Rossi | October 8, 2016 @ 10:15 AM
Last Updated: October 8, 2016 @ 10:23 AM
Getty Images
Donald Trump’s 2005 comments about groping women were apparently the last straw for Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who has rescinded her support of Donald Trump.
“I wanted to be able to support my party’s nominee, chosen by the people, because I feel strongly that we need a change in direction for our country,” she posted on Twitter. “However, I’m a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women. I will not be voting for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton and instead will be writing in Governor Pence for President on Election Day.”
The Washington Post published a tape Friday of Trump boasting to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush about kissing, groping and having sex with women, saying that “when you’re a star, they let you do anything … I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything,” he said. “Grab ‘em by the p-y.”
“I’ve never said I’m a perfect person. I’ve said and done things I regret, and the words released today in this more than decade old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize.”
He added: “I pledge to be a better man tomorrow and will never, ever let you down.”
Many Republicans joined Democrats in condemning Trump, and House Speaker Paul Ryan canceled plans to appear with Trump this weekend.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s debate between vice presidential candidates Tim Kaine and Mike Pence scored points for Trump’s running mate, who came off so well that a poll showed many Republican voters wished that Pence was in the top spot rather than Trump.
Pence also now tops the list for whom Republicans would like to see as their nominee in 2020.
Trump, meanwhile, faces his second debate with Hillary Clinton on Sunday. It should be interesting.
24 Republicans Who Won't Be Voting for Donald Trump (Photos)
While many major Republican figures like Mitch McConnell and John Boehner have towed the party line and pledged their support to Donald Trump, there are some who refuse to back him -- even if it means that Hillary Clinton will become the next President. In the wake of Trump's "grab her" tapes, that list has grown even further Here are some notable names who see Trump as an opponent to conservative values.
Getty
Sen. Lindsey Graham has been one of the most outspoken conservative critics of Trump, calling frequently on fellow Republicans to pull their support for him. Following Trump's derogatory comments against Judge Gonzalo Curiel, Graham said that at some point "there’ll come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary."
Getty
2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney has also been an early voice of dissent, telling the Wall Street Journal that he thinks Trump has "a character and temperament unfit for the leader of the free world."
ABC
While his brother and father have refrained from comment on Trump, Jeb Bush has continued his crusade against Donald even after losing to him in the primary. In a Washington Post column, Bush said he will not vote for Clinton or Trump and declared that "Trump’s abrasive, Know Nothing-like nativist rhetoric has blocked out sober discourse about how to tackle America’s big challenges."
Getty
Jeb Bush's mother and former first lady, Barbara Bush, also spoke out against Trump, telling CBS how she didn't understand how women could vote for him after his comments against Megyn Kelly.
Hewlett Packard executive and Republican fundraiser Meg Whitman has called Trump "a dishonest demagogue," who could lead the country "on a very dangerous journey."
Getty
One of Jeb Bush's aides, Sally Bradshaw, was so disgusted by Trump that she decided to leave the Republican Party all together. "Ultimately, I could not abide the hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump and his complete lack of principles and conservative philosophy," she told CNN. "If and when the party regains its sanity, I’ll be ready to return."
During the primary, former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman made it quite clear how he views Donald Trump in a Minneapolis Star-Tribune column: "I won't vote for Donald Trump because of who he isn't. He isn't a Republican. He isn't a conservative. He isn't a truth teller. He's not a uniter ... I also won't vote for Donald Trump because of who he is. A bigot. A misogynist. A fraud. A bully."
Glenn Beck, a staunch Cruz supporter during the primary, has not joined other pundits like Sean Hannity on the Trump bandwagon. "Donald Trump is the face of the GOP. Well, that makes us crony capitalists. It makes us wafflers. It makes us pretty racist,” Beck said on his show in May. “It makes us big government guys. Just, you name it -- it makes us that.”
Fox News
In August, The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol got into a heated debate on CNN with conservative commentator Kayleigh McEnany over Trump. "You're supporting a man who is utterly unfit to be President of the United States," Kristol said. "For a second in your personal life you would not tolerate him. A bully, a man of genuinely bad character!"
CNN
Erick Erickson, editor of right-wing site The Resurgent, had this to say about Trump and his supporters: "This is not a game. This is not team sport. This is about the future of the country. If Donald Trump was unfit last month, two months ago, or last September to be placed in front of the nuclear button, he is unfit this month, next month, and in November."
At a luncheon for the Federalist Society in June, Washington Post conservative columnist George Will said that he will no longer be registered as a Republican following Trump's nomination. "This is not my party," he said, noting that Paul Ryan's endorsement of Trump was a factor in his decision to leave.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says he will not vote for Trump or Clinton. In February, while voicing his support for Chris Christie during the primaries, Baker had this to say about Trump: "I think there’s a certain temperament and a certain collaborative nature that’s fundamental to somebody’s ability to succeed in government, and I question whether he has the temperament and the sense of purpose that’s associated with delivering on that."
Former CIA and NSA head Michael Hayden was one of four Republican national security officials who signed a letter in August declaring they would not vote for Donald Trump, claiming he would "put at-risk our country's national security and well-being."
Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, whose seat is up for grabs in November and is pictured right, was the first sitting GOP senator to pull his support of Trump. He has said that he will vote for a write-in candidate, though he hasn't decided who that would be. He has previously said he would write in David Petraeus and Colin Powell for his vote.
While Paul Ryan has rescinded his opposition to Trump, another Wisconsin Republican, Rep. Reid Ribble, said he "would not compromise principle for a party." When asked what he would say to Ryan about his endorsement, Ribble said that "he needs to make sure that his own principles and convictions" hold true, because after this is over, "you have only got that."
Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo became the first sitting Republican Senator to completely pull support of Trump in the wake of the release of a taped conversation between Donald Trump and Billy Bush.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for Trump to withdraw from the election on Facebook. "As a Republican, I hope to support someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth," she wrote.
Getty
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a Twitter statement that he would not be voting for a Republican presidential candidate for the first time since becoming an American citizen, telling fellow Republicans that "it is not only acceptable to choose your country over your party – it is your duty."
Getty
After providing tepid support for Trump for several months, Sen. John McCain officially pulled his support following the release of the tapes. "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," he wrote.
Getty
After rescinding an invitation to a GOP event in Wisconsin, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he would no longer be defending Trump and would be focused on supporting the campaigns of incumbent Republicans in Congress.
Getty
Ohio Governor John Kasich was one of Trump's most vocal detractors during the primaries, and reiterated his plan to not vote for Trump following the tape release. "The actions of the last day are disgusting, but that’s not why I reached this decision, it has been an accumulation of his words and actions that many have been warning about," he said in a statement.
Getty
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was very, very clear about where she stood on the election after the tapes were released. "I cannot and will not support Donald Trump for president," she tweeted. "He has forfeited the right to be our party’s nominee."
Getty
Former Utah governor and presidential candidate Jon Huntsman added his name to the anti-Trump list in October. "In a campaign cycle that has been nothing but a race to the bottom — at such a critical moment for our nation — and with so many who have tried to be respectful of a record primary vote, the time has come for Governor Pence to lead the ticket," Huntsman told The Salt Lake Tribune.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, one of Mitch McConnell's right hand men, has gone on record saying that Mike Pence should immediately replace Trump as the top of the Republican presidential ticket.
Getty
1 of 25
From Jeb Bush to Glenn Beck, the Trump campaign has prompted many right-wing politicians and pundits to break rank with the GOP
While many major Republican figures like Mitch McConnell and John Boehner have towed the party line and pledged their support to Donald Trump, there are some who refuse to back him -- even if it means that Hillary Clinton will become the next President. In the wake of Trump's "grab her" tapes, that list has grown even further Here are some notable names who see Trump as an opponent to conservative values.