#NeverTrump GOP endorsements LATEST: Graham and Lee voted McMullin

[Classic Conservative]

It seems like Alan Keyes is #NeverTrump
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/alan-keyes-no-self-respecting-conservative-would-vote-socialist-trump

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Add in some former apprentice contestants: http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/15/media/donald-trump-apprentice/

[Famous Mortimer]

Per Jon Ralston, Brian Sandoval is now dipping his toes in the #NeverTrump waters...

Breaking: @GovSandoval tells me he is no longer sure he'll support Trump as nominee "considering some of the things he has said lately." 1/2

.@GovSandoval on backing Trump as nominee: "It's a day by day thing." Laying the groundwork? 2/2

https://twitter.com/RalstonReports/status/720063551084240896

What recent comments? The ones where he endorsed the same position on abortion as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kaisch?

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Paleos are constitutional conservatives.

Let's dispel with this fiction that the Constitution had a liberal or conservative bias.

It's not a fiction. There are several schools of theory.

[Mr. Morden]

Sasse remains the only sitting Republican Senator who has ruled out voting for Trump in the general election.  But the WaPo tried contacting every sitting Republican Senator to see where they stand on this.  More than half said that they'd support whoever the nominee was, even if they have reservations about Trump and he isn't their first choice.  But there's a significant minority who are holdouts, who haven't explicitly committed themselves to backing the party's presidential nominee no matter what.  Here's a list of possible holdouts:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/08/most-gop-senators-appear-ready-to-support-donald-trump-but-plenty-would-rather-not-talk-about-it/?tid=sm_tw

Explicitly ruled out supporting Trump in the GE:
Sasse

Basically said they’re undecided, as they expressed reservations about Trump:
Flake
Coats

Dodged the question:
Gardner
Risch
Kirk
Grassley
Cassidy
Collins
Burr
Graham
Alexander
Enzi

Will back Trump if he’s the nominee “unless something crazy happens”:
Portman

Weirdly said he’d vote for Trump if the nominee, but then said Sasse is probably right about Trump:
Inhofe

Listed as “Undecided”, but WaPo doesn’t provide details:
Murkowski
Moran
Vitter
Cochran
Lankford
Scott
Corker
Lee

Didn’t get back to the WaPo for this story, so no idea what they think:
Cotton
Daines

Followup on this: Kirk won't attend the convention (apparently fearing the circus that would come from either a Trump nomination or a contested convention):

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/mark-kirk-on-gop-convention-ive-got-to-really-do-my-hair-tha#.bkoJe71Wq

I imagine that many others will be staying away as well.  Ayotte, Jeb Bush, and Charlie Baker have already said they're not going either, for example:

https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2016/04/14/gov-baker-attend-gop-convention

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Sasse remains the only sitting Republican Senator who has ruled out voting for Trump in the general election.  But the WaPo tried contacting every sitting Republican Senator to see where they stand on this.  More than half said that they'd support whoever the nominee was, even if they have reservations about Trump and he isn't their first choice.  But there's a significant minority who are holdouts, who haven't explicitly committed themselves to backing the party's presidential nominee no matter what.  Here's a list of possible holdouts:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/08/most-gop-senators-appear-ready-to-support-donald-trump-but-plenty-would-rather-not-talk-about-it/?tid=sm_tw

Explicitly ruled out supporting Trump in the GE:
Sasse

Basically said they’re undecided, as they expressed reservations about Trump:
Flake
Coats

Dodged the question:
Gardner
Risch
Kirk
Grassley
Cassidy
Collins
Burr
Graham
Alexander
Enzi

Will back Trump if he’s the nominee “unless something crazy happens”:
Portman

Weirdly said he’d vote for Trump if the nominee, but then said Sasse is probably right about Trump:
Inhofe

Listed as “Undecided”, but WaPo doesn’t provide details:
Murkowski
Moran
Vitter
Cochran
Lankford
Scott
Corker
Lee

Didn’t get back to the WaPo for this story, so no idea what they think:
Cotton
Daines

Followup on this: Kirk won't attend the convention (apparently fearing the circus that would come from either a Trump nomination or a contested convention):

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/mark-kirk-on-gop-convention-ive-got-to-really-do-my-hair-tha#.bkoJe71Wq

I imagine that many others will be staying away as well.  Ayotte, Jeb Bush, and Charlie Baker have already said they're not going either, for example:

https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2016/04/14/gov-baker-attend-gop-convention

Not exactly sure why Jeb! isn't going, but I guess the vulnerable senators cannot afford to associate themselves with any of the fighting that will happen in Cleveland since their only hope to win in November is with a united party behind them.

[Mr. Morden]

Some more #NeverTrump endorsements from weeks/months past that we missed:

Former Rep. Ron Paul (TX):

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/274811-ron-paul-i-will-not-vote-for-trump

Former PA Gov. and Sec. of Homeland Security Tom Ridge:

http://www.msnbc.com/mtp-daily/watch/ridge--not-a-chance-ill-support-trump-if-hes-gop-nominee-582361667654

Rep. Richard Hanna (NY):

link

Former Rep. Bob Inglis (SC):

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/04/heres-the-conundrum-for-the-never-trump-movement.html
(if I’m interpreting that right)

Former Rep. J.C. Watts (OK):

http://fortune.com/2016/03/01/republicans-oppose-trump/

[IceSpear]

Some more #NeverTrump endorsements from weeks/months past that we missed:

Former Rep. Ron Paul (TX):

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/274811-ron-paul-i-will-not-vote-for-trump

Former PA Gov. and Sec. of Homeland Security Tom Ridge:

http://www.msnbc.com/mtp-daily/watch/ridge--not-a-chance-ill-support-trump-if-hes-gop-nominee-582361667654

Rep. Richard Hanna (NY):

link

Former Rep. Bob Inglis (SC):

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/04/heres-the-conundrum-for-the-never-trump-movement.html
(if I’m interpreting that right)

Former Rep. J.C. Watts (OK):

http://fortune.com/2016/03/01/republicans-oppose-trump/

I think this post so perfectly encapsulates the following joke:

"What do you call a sane Republican politician? Former"

Even Hanna is retiring!

[Fargobison]

Former McCain Chief of Staff and longtime Republican...

You must be logged in to read this quote.

https://twitter.com/MarkSalter55/status/727500491962339328

[IceSpear]

Former McCain Chief of Staff

Should we make a drinking game out of this? I don't want anyone to die of alcohol poisoning though.

[Likely Voter]

any guesses which one of these Never Trumpers will speak at the DNC? My money is on Whitman.

[Fuzzy Bear]

any guesses which one of these Never Trumpers will speak at the DNC? My money is on Whitman.

Whitman might make a good VP pick for Hillary if she were shrewd enough.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

any guesses which one of these Never Trumpers will speak at the DNC? My money is on Whitman.

I thought at the start of this election season that we'd see a prominent disgruntled Democrat like Jim Webb at the RNC. Now, the reverse is possible.

Any chance of any prominent Republicans speaking at a third-party convention?

[Mr. Morden]

any guesses which one of these Never Trumpers will speak at the DNC? My money is on Whitman.

Whitman is one of the few #NeverTrump Republicans who says that she'll likely vote for Clinton, rather than vote 3rd party or write in a name.  But even in Whitman's case, I don't think she affirmatively likes Clinton as a potential president.  She just thinks Clinton is the least bad option.  Normally, you wouldn't take the step of speaking at the other party's convention unless you affirmatively like that party's candidate, rather than think of them as the lesser of two evils.  Lieberman in 2008, for example, legit liked McCain as a potential president.

[Indy Texas]

any guesses which one of these Never Trumpers will speak at the DNC? My money is on Whitman.

Whitman might make a good VP pick for Hillary if she were shrewd enough.

Christine Todd Whitman or Meg Whitman? Both seem like poor choices for different reasons.

[Fargobison]

Ben Sasse is a great American....

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[Illiniwek]

Ben Sasse is a great American....

You must be logged in to read this quote.

FF

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Sasse is the 2nd worst Senator in the country. No surprise there!

[Mr. Morden]

Sasse: "America’s greatness isn’t found in a strongman’s narcissism."

[This account no longer in use.]

Sasse is the 2nd worst Senator in the country. No surprise there!

I believe you mean 3rd worst.

[publicunofficial]

Sasse: "America’s greatness isn’t found in a strongman’s narcissism."

Ben Sasse 2020 is a certainty.

[IceSpear]

Wow, a CURRENT Republican officeholder with integrity! I'm genuinely shocked.

[Mr. Morden]

Sasse: "America’s greatness isn’t found in a strongman’s narcissism."

Ben Sasse 2020 is a certainty.

He visited Iowa last week:

https://twitter.com/jasonnobleDMR/status/726191718215766017

So yes, it looks like the groundwork is being laid.

[Mr. Morden]

Various DC conservative media types on Twitter talking about de-registering from the Republican Party.  Philip Klein of the Washington Examiner tweets a picture of his de-registration:



While Lachlan Markey of the Free Beacon burns his Republican registration card:

https://twitter.com/lachlan/status/727666316748935169

[Admiral Kizaru]

Any chance that a moderator could do an SE Cupp and edit the opening post to list all the #neverTrump folks in a neat list.

It'll be interesting to revisit it during the campaign season to see who'll eventually buckle (assuming they admit it publicly).