from the Dworkin Report
Here’s a list of prominent Republicans and Trump’s former backers who are not supporting him, and some of their quotes. Keep in mind this is just a sample of key players and not a full list:
GOP Gov. Brian Kemp: “I didn’t vote for him.” Kemp confirmed he didn’t vote for Trump in the Georgia primary.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins: “I cannot support former President Trump,” and says she did not vote for him in the primary.
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski: “I certainly can’t get behind Donald Trump.”
GOP Sen. Mitt Romney: Trump is “not suited to be president of the United States and to be the person who we hold up to our children and the world as the leader of the free world.”
GOP Sen. Todd Young: Trump “just consistently loses. In fact he has a habit of losing not just his own elections, but losing elections for others … I don’t think conservatives would be well served by electing someone whose core competency seems to be owning someone on Twitter.”
GOP Rep. David Valadao
Fmr. GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger: “It’s because of my unwavering support for democracy, that today, as a proud conservative, I am endorsing Joe Biden for reelection.”
Fmr. GOP Rep. Liz Cheney: “We cannot survive a president who is willing to torch the Constitution.”
Fmr. Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan: “It’s disappointing to watch an increasing number of Republicans fall in line behind former president Donald Trump,” saying he has “no choice but to pull the lever for Biden.”
Fmr. VP Dick Cheney: ““In our nation’s 236-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump … He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He is a coward. A real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters. He lost his election, and he lost big. I know it, he knows it, and deep down I think most Republicans know it.”
Fmr. RNC Chair Michael Steele: “I get it with some Republicans who say, ‘Oh, I just can’t vote for a Democrat.’ But this is not — you’re voting for your country. You’re not voting for a Democrat, in this case … I do get the idea that it is hard for some Republicans to go across the street. But baby, you need to do it … The country needs you more than your party does, trust me.”
Fmr. Trump WH Press Sec Sarah Matthews: “While I’ve never voted for a Democrat a day in my life, I would support Biden over Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee … I won’t support someone who refused to participate in a peaceful transfer of power, tried to overthrow a free and fair election, and incited a mob to attack the U.S. Capitol.”
Fmr. WH Press Sec. Stephanie Grisham: “I spent six years nonstop with Donald Trump, and I’ll tell you what: If Biden does decide to debate Trump, I would sure like to prep President Biden.”
Fmr. WH Aide Cassidy Hutchinson: “I’ve never voted for a Democrat in my life, but I would absolutely consider voting for Joe Biden this upcoming November because he will not seek to destroy our nation …He will not seek to destroy our Constitution. And he has the statesman character that we need in an elected official.”
Fmr. WH Comms Dir. Alyssa Farah Griffin: Trump “is a threat to democracy, and I will never support him.”
Fmr. WH Counsel Ty Cobb: Trump “has never cared about America, its citizens, its future or anything but himself … In fact, as history well shows from his divisive lies, as well as from his unrestrained contempt for the rule of law and his related crimes, his conduct and mere existence have hastened the demise of democracy and of the nation.”
Fmr. WH Chief of Staff John Kelly: “What’s going on in the country that a single person thinks this guy (Trump) would still be a good president when he’s said the things he’s said and done the things he’s done? … It’s beyond my comprehension he has the support he has.”
Fmr. Defense Sec. Mark Esper: “There’s no way” I’ll support Trump. Trump “is a threat to democracy.”
Fmr. VP Mike Pence: “I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign.”
Zero Fortune 100 CEOs have donated to Trump.
Paul Ryan and John Bolton both refuse to support Trump and say instead they’ll write-in another Republican… how brave of them. Can you sense my sarcasm? And Chris Christie is still all over the place. No bold font for them.
We will keep a running list on this post as it grows. Because each day, more and more Americans are speaking out about the dangers of Trump and the horrors of having him back in the White House. Which we can never let happen.
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Frank was a skilled community organizer when he was first elected to the House in 1994. In that election, Democrats suffered a catastrophic defeat, losing 29 seats and going from a 65-33 majority to a 62-36 minority. Frank led his caucus back to the majority, serving as Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2019. His leadership produced many historic moments for our state, including the passage of the marriage equality bill in 2012 (which he had just signed in the photo above). For the last few years, freed of his leadership duties, Frank focused tirelessly on housing and behavioral health. He has helped lead the legislature’s efforts in creating affordable housing through the Housing Trust Fund; expanding healthcare to children through the Apple Health for Kids program; and integrating behavioral health and healthcare systems and building out new facilities such as the UW Behavioral Health Hospital. He also played a key role in our state’s efforts to fund education, make our economy more fair, help workers organize, protect our air and water, and invest in critical infrastructure. On a personal level, Frank has been a mentor and friend who has helped shape my own approach to public service. I’d like to share three moments from my last three years serving in the House with Frank. 
In the 2011 session, Frank collaborated closely with me, Rep. (and now Speaker) Laurie Jinkins, and Sen. David Frockt to develop a challenge to a series of Tim Eyman-backed initiatives that purported to require 2/3 supermajorities for the Legislature to raise taxes. For nearly 20 years, those initiatives had prevented the Legislature from doing anything but cutting services to balance our budgets – and the Supreme Court had rejected multiple challenges on procedural grounds. But in our case, League of Education Voters v. State of Washington, the Supreme Court struck down all of those initiatives and held that the state constitution required that tax bills pass or fail based on the will of a majority of legislators in each chamber. That decision has freed us to make rational policy over the last 10 years as we worked to make our tax system more fair and adequate to meet the needs of the people of Washington. In the 2012 session, I was the House prime sponsor of the marriage equality bill. We had agreed that the Senate would try to pass the bill first, because we did not know if we had a majority in support. My job was to help that effort by proving that we had the votes in the House to pass it. I needed 50 signatures to demonstrate that we had a majority – but I had several colleagues who said that they would vote for the bill but did not want to put their name on it. So for a few days, I was stuck at 49. As House Speaker, Frank had a strong policy of never sponsoring bills so that he could demonstrate that he led the chamber fairly. But when I went to him and asked him to be the 50th sponsor, he did not hesitate to break his self-imposed rule and thanked me for asking him. In the 2013 session, in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, Frank and I worked closely on a bill requiring background checks for all gun purchases. He shut down floor action in the House for days as we worked furiously to marshal the votes for the bill. Although we were unsuccessful that year, the voters passed the bill as Initiative 594 in November 2014, and Washington began its sustained work to enact gun violence prevention legislation, continuing to this day. In all of those efforts – and many others – Frank’s passion, skilled organizing, and strong progressive values helped achieve success. I am certain that dozens of my legislative colleagues could tell similar stories about the issues on which he has improved the lives of people in our state. 
Frank, thank you for your service and commitment to the people of Washington. I will miss serving with you. Thanks for taking the time to read my newsletter. This will conclude my series of e-newsletters on the 2024 legislative session. 
