Which Republicans Oppose Donald Trump? A Cheat Sheet
It’s a sign of the times when a former Republican National Committee chairman announces he’s not voting for the GOP’s presidential nominee—and does so at a dinner honoring the progressive magazine Mother Jones.
Speaking at a dinner on Thursday, Michael Steele said he would not be voting for Trump, BuzzFeed reports. “I was damn near puking during the debates,” Steele said, adding that Trump has “captured that racist underbelly, that frustration, that angry underbelly of American life and gave voice to that.”
Here’s another sign of the times: Steele is the sixth former RNC chair to say that he’s opposing Trump.
Steele was the chair from 2009 to 2011, the first African American to fill the role. His term was a turbulent, including the huge Republican Tea Party wave of 2010, but he was pushed out and replaced by Reince Priebus, who is the current chair. Steele was lieutenant governor of Maryland previously.
He joins Marc Racicot (chair 2002-2003), who told Bloomberg in August, “I cannot and will not support Donald Trump for president.” Mel Martinez (2007) memorably told The Wall Street Journal, “If there is any, any, any other choice, a living, breathing person with a pulse, I would be there.” Bill Brock (1977-1981) has said he won’t back Trump, and so has Ken Mehlman (2005-2007). Rich Bond (1992-1993) wrote in an email in May that he would not vote for either Trump or Clinton, and would write in Homer Simpson if need be.
Despite a mass exodus since a video emerged of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women, some prominent Republicans have still kept backing Trump. That notably includes Speaker Paul Ryan, who is officially a Trump endorser, even though he has said he will not defend or campaign for the nominee, and even though Trump has taken to attacking him during stump speeches and interviews; and also Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
How do you solve a problem like The Donald? For Republicans and conservatives, the time for hoping Trump would simply burn himself out, collapse, and go away is over. Now they have to figure out what they’ll do: Sign up with Trump in the name of party unity, and distaste for Hillary Clinton? Or risk alienating the Republican nominee and reject him?
As the chaotic and failed attempts to stop Trump over the last year have shown, there’s no obviously right choice for how conservatives should respond. But which choice are people making? Here’s a list of some major figures and where they stand on Trump—right now. We’ll keep it updated as other important people take stances, or as these ones change their views about Trump.
Party Elders
George W. Bush: ABSTAIN
The former president “does not plan to participate in or comment on the presidential campaign,” an aide told the Texas Tribune. (May 4, 2016)
George H.W. Bush: ABSTAIN
“At age 91, President Bush is retired from politics. He came out of retirement to do a few things for Jeb, but those were the exceptions that proved the rule,” an aide told the Texas Tribune. (May 4, 2016)
Barbara Bush: NAY
Unlike her husband and elder son, the former first lady has publicly disavowed Trump. “I mean, unbelievable. I don't know how women can vote for someone who said what he said about Megyn Kelly, it’s terrible,” she told CBS in February. “And we knew what he meant too.” (February 4, 2016)
Mitt Romney: NAY
The party’s 2012 nominee, one of Trump’s staunchest critics during the primary, told The Wall Street Journal, “I wanted my grandkids to see that I simply couldn’t ignore what Mr. Trump was saying and doing, which revealed a character and temperament unfit for the leader of the free world.” Romney continued: “I know that some people are offended that someone who lost and is the former nominee continues to speak, but that’s how I can sleep at night.” (May 27, 2016)
Romney previously told The Washington Post he would skip the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, and said at a D.C. dinner that he won’t be supporting Trump. (May 5, 2016)
Bob Dole: YEA (formerly UNDECIDED)
The former Senate majority leader and 1996 GOP presidential nominee endorsed Trump on May 6. He will also be the only living GOP nominee to attend the RNC. (May 6, 2016.) Dole previously would not commit to voting for Trump but said in January that Trump would be preferable to Cruz. (May 5, 2016)
John Boehner: YEA
The former speaker, who says he and Trump are “texting buddies,” told an audience at Stanford University that he’d back Trump in the general election. (April 28, 2016)
Trent Lott: YEA
The former Senate majority leader told The Clarion-Ledger that he will back Trump, despite some reservations. (May 4, 2016)
Tom DeLay: UNDECIDED
Asked by reporter Jon Ward whether Clinton or Trump was worse, the former House majority leader responded, “I can’t answer that right now.” (June 21, 2016)
DeLay hadn’t spoken out since Trump’s ascension, but was highly critical of him during the primary: “We have got to stop Trump. Whatever it takes without cheating or violating the rules of the Republican primaries,” he told Newsmax.
Dick Cheney: YEA
The former vice president blasted Trump during the primary over his stance on 9/11, and said he “sounds like a liberal Democrat,” but he now says he will back the nominee. (May 6, 2016)
Newt Gingrich: YEA
The former speaker of the House did not formally endorse Trump during the primary, but he has repeatedly praised the mogul and his vision, and is said to be a contender for a position in a Trump administration.
Jeb Bush: NAY
The former Florida governor and presidential candidate came to detest Trump during the campaign. In April, he said he would not attend the Republican National Convention. He now says he will not vote for either Trump or Clinton. (May 6, 2016)
Reince Priebus: YEA
As chair of the Republican National Committee, Priebus doesn't really have a choice, though that doesn’t mean he won’t pour Baileys in his cereal over it. (May 4, 2016)
.@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton #NeverClinton
— Reince Priebus (@Reince) May 4, 2016
Priebus said on May 6 that Trump needs to change his tone.
Rick Perry: YEA
The former Texas governor and presidential candidate—who was one of the first to blast Trump—told CNN that he backs Trump. (5/5/16)
Mike Huckabee: YEA
The former Arkansas governor, who ran for president this year, says Republicans should get in line. “When we nominated people over the past several election cycles, some of us had heartburn, but we stepped up and supported the nominee,” he said. “You’re either on the team, or you’re not on the team.” (May 5, 2016)
Bobby Jindal: YEA
The former Louisiana governor, who during his own presidential campaign called Trump a “narcissist” and an “egomaniacal madman,” wrote in a Wall Street Journal column that he’s voting for Trump, “warts and all.” “I think electing Donald Trump would be the second-worst thing we could do this November, better only than electing Hillary Clinton to serve as the third term for the Obama administration’s radical policies,” he said. (May 9, 2016)
Eric Cantor: YEA
Cantor, the former U.S. representative from Virginia and House majority leader, says he will back Trump, though he offered a tepid endorsement, saying a Trump-Clinton matchup was “probably not the best choice for anybody,” and adding, “He’s a businessman . . . [but] he’s been on so many sides of every issue that you never know.” (May 9, 2016)
Ben Carson: YEA
Carson, a relative political newcomer who ran for president in 2016, has become one of Trump’s most prominent surrogates, despite repeatedly voicing misgivings about the candidate.
Rick Santorum: YEA
The former Pennsylvania senator and two-time presidential candidate appeared, with Mike Huckabee, at a Trump rally back in January, when they were ostensibly rivals. (Both Santorum and Huckabee already seemed finished by then.) Despite Santorum’s strong social conservatism, he says that after “a long heart-to-heart with Donald Trump” he is “100 percent” endorsing the nominee. (May 25, 2016)
Karl Rove: UNDECIDED
The former George W. Bush strategist and current Wall Street Journal columnist and PAC boss has called Trump “a complete idiot” who is “graceless and divisive.” (Trump, in turn, has asked, “Is he not the dumbest human being on earth?”) But The New York Times reports the two men met in May. (June 3, 2016)
Larry Pressler: NAY
A moderate and former three-term senator from South Dakota, Pressler has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. (June 14, 2016)
Herman Cain: YEA
Mr. 9-9-9, the 2012 GOP presidential candidate, introduced Trump at a rally in Atlanta, calling him “one of the great conservative voices in America today.” He had previously told Republicans who didn’t back Trump to “get over it” but also insisted it was not an endorsement. (June 15, 2016)
Norm Coleman: NAY
The former Minnesota senator wrote in a March 3 column that he will not support the Republican nominee. “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…. I also won't vote for Donald Trump because of who he is. A bigot. A misogynist. A fraud. A bully.” (July 7, 2016)
Michael Bloomberg: NAY
Does the former New York mayor count as a Republican? A former Democrat, he ran and was elected Big Apple head honcho as a Republican, though he later became an independent. In any case, Bloomberg is appalled by Trump, and he will speak on behalf of Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (June 24, 2016)
Sally Bradshaw: NAY
Bradshaw, a longtime operative and aid to Jeb Bush, was an author of the GOP’s post-2012 “autopsy” report. Now she says she’s not even a member of the party. “Ultimately, I could not abide the hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump and his complete lack of principles and conservative philosophy. I didn’t make this decision lightly,” she told CNN. She said if Florida looks close, she will vote for Hillary Clinton in order to defeat Trump. (August 1, 2016)
Marc Racicot: NAY
Racicot, a confidant of former President George W. Bush who chaired the RNC from 2001 to 2003, tells Bloomberg, “I cannot and will not support Donald Trump for president.” (August 3, 2016)
Vin Weber: NAY
A former Minnesota congressman who helped Newt Gingrich bring the Republican Party to power and is now a lobbyist, Weber has ruled out Trump. “I won't vote for Trump,” he told CNBC. “I can't imagine I'd remain a Republican if he becomes president.” (August 3, 2016)
Gordon Humphrey: NAY
The former U.S. senator from New Hampshire says he cannot vote for Trump, calling him “a sociopath, without a conscience or feelings of guilt, shame or remorse.” Humphrey told NBC he may reluctantly vote for Hillary Clinton, but only if it’s a close contest. (August 4, 2016)
George P. Bush: YEA
The scion of the Bush family, who is currently Texas land commissioner, has broken with other members of the Bush clan, who have either pointedly abstained or said they would not vote for Trump. “From Team Bush, it's a bitter pill to swallow, but you know what? You get back up and you help the man that won, and you make sure that we stop Hillary Clinton,” he said. (August 6, 2016)
Chris Shays: NAY
A longtime moderate Republican U.S. representative from Connecticut who lost his seat in 2008, Shays has endorsed Hillary Clinton. “I think many Republicans know Donald Trump could cause great damage to our country and the world at large, and still plan to vote for him. But not me,” Shays wrote for CNN. He said he backs Clinton not reluctantly but with “strong conviction.” (August 10, 2016)
Richard Viguerie: YEA
The direct-mail pioneer and social-conservative elder statesman was once a Trump critic, saying in February, “I’m just very concerned about his mental stability and his moral background, or lack thereof, which he brags about. He has no grounds that drive him morally.” More recently, however, he has taken to praising Trump. “I haven't seen anything like this since the 1980 Reagan campaign against Carter,” he said. (September 2, 2016)
Carly Fiorina: YEA (was ABSTAIN)
The former presidential candidate has called on Trump to step down and allow Mike Pence to take up the party’s mantle. She did not clearly state whether she would vote for Trump if he did not withdraw. (October 8, 2016)
Speaking to the Washington State Republican Party Thursday night, Fiorina said, “We must have President Trump—we can't have President Clinton.” She is reportedly considering a run for RNC chair. (September 9, 2016)
Fiorina, who briefly served as Ted Cruz’s running mate before he left the race, feuded with Trump during the primary, particularly over disparaging comments he made about her face. She had not endorsed him publicly, and her spokeswoman told The Washington Examiner in June that she was focusing on down-ballot races.
Mike Murphy: NAY
Murphy, a veteran Republican who ran Jeb Bush’s failed campaign for president, has been an outspoken Trump critic. Following the first presidential debate, Murphy said only Clinton was “ready” to serve:
I despise her silly lefty domestic policy and the class war tropes, but it's all too clear that of these two only HRC is ready to be POTUS.
— mike murphy (@murphymike) September 27, 2016
(September 27, 2016)
John Warner: NAY
Warner, the longtime Virginia senator and former secretary of the Navy, is endorsing Clinton. Warner, a World War II veteran who is still considered popular in Virginia, was always willing to buck his own party, sometimes voting against Republican leaders and endorsing Democrat Mark Warner (no relation) as his successor, but his backing should give Clinton a boost in Virginia. (September 28, 2016)
William Milliken: NAY
Milliken, a Republican who was Michigan’s longest-serving governor, holding office from 1969 to 1983, has crossed party lines to endorse Hillary Clinton over Trump. “Because I feel so strongly about our nation's future, I will be joining the growing list of former and present government officials in casting my vote for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016,” he said. As the Detroit Free Press notes, this isn’t Milliken’s first time endorsing a Democrat, but it could help sway votes in a swing state. (August 8, 2016)
Mickey Edwards: NAY
Edwards, who represented Oklahoma in the U.S. House, chaired the American Conservative Union, and helped found the Heritage Foundation, has been critical of Trump for some time. In August, he signed a letter asking the Republican Party to divert money from the presidential race to down-ballot races to save GOP control of Congress, and he helped circulate a letter from retired members of Congress deeming Trump unacceptable. (October 6, 2016)
Jon Huntsman: NAY (was YEA)
Huntsman, a moderate former governor of Utah who served as ambassador to China under Barack Obama and ran for president in 2012, says Trump should withdraw and allow Mike Pence to run for president. (October 7, 2016)
Huntsman was previously among the first mainstream GOP figures to back Trump. "We've had enough intraparty fighting. Now's the time to stitch together a winning coalition," he said. "And it's been clear almost from the beginning that Donald Trump has the ability to assemble a nontraditional bloc of supporters.” (April 29, 2016)
Christine Todd Whitman: NAY
The former governor of New Jersey and administrator of the EPA under George W. Bush is backing Hillary Clinton. “A Hillary presidency promises more of the Obama failed policies, but she would at least walk into the oval office ready to govern,” she wrote in a column. “She would be a steady hand on the nuclear code and she demonstrated a willingness to work across the aisle when she was in the senate.” (October 7, 2016)
Michael Steele: NAY
The former RNC chair and lieutenant governor of Maryland told an audience at a dinner honoring Mother Jones (seriously), “I was damn near puking during the debates,” adding that Trump had “captured that racist underbelly, that frustration, that angry underbelly of American life and gave voice to that.” He says he will not vote for Trump or Clinton. (October 21, 2016)
Mel Martinez: NAY
The former RNC chair and Florida senator says he won’t vote for Trump. “I would not vote for Trump, clearly,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “If there is any, any, any other choice, a living, breathing person with a pulse, I would be there.” (February 29, 2016)
Ken Mehlman: NAY
The former RNC chair wrote on Facebook that he was #NeverTrump. (May 12, 2016)
Representatives
Paul Ryan: YEA (was UNDECIDED)
The House speaker says he cannot and will not defend Trump any longer, and he said he will instead focus on trying to save Republican control of Congress. He has not, however, withdrawn his endorsement. (October 10, 2016)
condemned Trump over a tape in which he made lewd comments about women and discussed groping them without consent, disinviting him from a campaign event. But Ryan did not say he had changed his mind about an endorsement. (October 7, 2016)
Ryan once again affirmed his backing for Trump, offering the-less-than-resounding statement, “That’s not my plan. I don’t have a plan to do that.” (June 16, 2016)
has condemned Trump’s attacks on Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s as “absolutely unacceptable,” saying, “Claiming a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment,” but adding that he isn’t dropping his support for Trump. (June 7, 2016)
Ryan previously announced that he will vote for Trump:
I'll be voting for @realDonaldTrump this fall. I'm confident he will help turn the House GOP's agenda into laws. https://t.co/LyaT16khJw
— Paul Ryan (@PRyan) June 2, 2016
Ryan said he had become convinced that Trump would help Ryan enact his House agenda. (June 2, 2016)
Ryan initially said he intended to support the Republican nominee, but after Trump clinched the nomination, he said he was not yet prepared to back Trump. “To be perfectly candid with you, I’m just not ready to that at this point,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I’m not there. I hope to, and I want to.” He said the party needs “a standard-bearer that bears our standards.” (May 5, 2016)
Kevin McCarthy: YEA
The House majority leader, a Californian, has broken with Speaker Paul Ryan and will back Trump. McCarthy has signed up as a prospective delegate for Trump in the Golden State. (May 10, 2016)
Steve Scalise: YEA
The House majority whip, a Louisiana representative, offered Trump a tepid endorsement. (The two men share the dubious distinction of being linked politically to David Duke.) “I've always said that I will support the Republican nominee,” Scalise said. “Now is the time for for our party to unite around Donald Trump so that we can focus on defeating Hillary Clinton in November to prevent another four years of job-killing, big government policies so we can get our economy back on track.” (May 5, 2016)
Cathy McMorris Rodgers: YEA (formerly UNDECIDED)
The Washington representative, who is chair of the House Republican Caucus, offered Trump a tepid endorsement, pointing out that he was the choice of primary voters, but adding, “In the months ahead, he will have to earn the presidency by demonstrating that he has the temperament for the job and plans to empower every American to pursue a future of opportunity and freedom.” (May 19, 2016)
McMorris Rodgers previously said she had not made up her mind. “Before I endorse him, I would like to have a conversation with him. I would like to ask him questions about some of the statements he’s made,” she told The Spokesman-Review. (May 5, 2016)
Raul Labrador: YEA
The Idaho congressman, a Tea Party hero, tepidly backs Trump after opposing him in the primary and backing Cruz. “There are some things he doesn’t quite understand,” Labrador told The Huffington Post. “With Trump, I have at least some hope that he’s going to make the right choice.”
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: NAY
The senior member of the Florida congressional delegation says she will write Jeb Bush’s name in on the ballot in November. (August 11, 2016)
Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Cuba and emigrated to the United States, has said she will not vote for Trump. “I will work with whomever is chosen by the American people to serve as president, because I deeply respect the American constitutional system,” she said in a statement. “In this election, I do not support either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.” (May 6, 2016)
Fred Upton: ABSTAIN
The longtime Michigan congressman (and, true fact, uncle of Kate) has called on Trump to withdraw from the race.
Upton previously said he would not endorse Trump, though he stopped short of saying he would not vote for him. “There’s a lot of things that folks are not happy about with either of these two candidates,” he said during a radio interview. “We’re running our own race, and don’t look for me to endorse anyone in this race probably the rest of the year.” (June 16, 2016)
Richard Hanna: NAY
Hanna, a retiring congressman who represents a swing district in central New York, is the first House Republican to say he will vote for Hillary Clinton. “For me, it is not enough to simply denounce [Trump’s] comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country,” Hanna wrote in the Syracuse Post-Standard. “Secretary Clinton has issues that depending on where one stands can be viewed as great or small…. While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton.” (August 2, 2016)
Charlie Dent: NAY
Dent, a moderate Republican who represents southeastern Pennsylvania, said he doesn’t intend to vote for Trump or Clinton. “I’m not planning to vote for either of the two major-party nominees and I’m not ready to say I’m going to vote for the libertarians either,” he told Jake Tapper. (August 2, 2016)
Adam Kinzinger: NAY
The Illinois representative, a former Air Force pilot hails from a district west and south of Chicago, criticized Ted Cruz when he didn’t endorse Trump at the RNC. But then after Trump suggested not supporting NATO allies, Kinzinger described the idea as “utterly disastrous,” and he now tells CNN, “I don't see how I can get there anymore.” (August 3, 2016)
Mike Coffman: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The Colorado representative has issued a statement calling for Trump to leave the ticket, in the wake of the publication of a video in which Trump made lewd comments about women and discussed groping them without consent. “For the good of the country, and to give the Republicans a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump should step aside,” he said. (October 8, 2016)
Coffman was previously vague on his position. In atelevision ad, he said, “People ask me, 'What do you think about Trump?' Honestly, I don't care for him much. And I certainly don't trust Hillary." He promised to “stand up to” Trump. A spokeswoman said he was considering other candidates, but had not ruled out voting for the nominee. (August 4, 2016)
Bob Dold: NAY
The Illinois congressman, who represents the northern suburbs of Chicago, was among the first Republicans to say he would not vote for Trump. “Whether it be Mr. Trump’s comments about women, his comments about Muslims, his comments about Latinos, for me it was very personal his comments about POWs,” Dold told WLS in May, adding, “I want to make that I’m clear about this, I’m not going to support Hillary Clinton either. I would write someone in.” (May 6, 2016)
Scott Rigell: NAY
The Virginia congressman, who represents the Virginia Beach area, has become the first Republican member of Congress to say that he will vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson. Rigell says he long ago decided he could not back Trump. “When their own conscience is seared by some statement that Trump has made, I have encouraged them to be direct and also, in a timely manner, repudiate what he said,” he told The New York Times. (August 7, 2016)
Dave Reichert: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The Washington congressman, who represents a district just east of Seattle, says that after the release of a video in which Trump boasts about sexually assaulting women, “Donald Trump has lost my vote.”
Reichert previously said in an interview with KIRO radio that he would “never” endorse Trump. But he also said he wouldn’t vote for Clinton, and when pressed on whether he would vote for Trump, he added, “I never said I wouldn’t vote for him, I just said I wouldn’t endorse him.” (August 11, 2016)
Mark Sanford: YEA
The South Carolina conservative and former governor (as you may recall) is backing Trump—he writes in a New York Times op-ed calling on the nominee to release his tax returns. “I am a conservative Republican who, though I have no stomach for his personal style and his penchant for regularly demeaning others, intends to support my party’s nominee because of the importance of filling the existing vacancy on the Supreme Court, and others that might open in the next four years.” (August 16, 2016)
Reid Ribble: NAY
The Wisconsin congressman has consistently been an outspoken Trump critic. He said in December that he would not back Trump if he became the nominee. In June, he said Trump was “likely to be a racist.” Now, along with Representative Scott Rigell and a slew of operatives, he has signed a letter asking the RNC to withdraw resources from the Trump campaign and concentrate on holding Congress. (August 16, 2016)
Mac Thornberry: UNDECIDED
Thornberry, a Texan who heads the House Armed Services Committee, has not endorsed Trump and skipped the Republican National Convention. Asked repeatedly on MSNBC whether he had confidence in Trump’s qualifications to serve as commander-in-chief, Thornberry deflected, saying he had concerns about both Trump and Hillary Clinton. (September 7, 2016)
Jason Chaffetz: NAY (was YEA)
Chaffetz, a Utahn who chairs the House Oversight Committee, announced that he was withdrawing his support from Trump over a tape in which he made lewd comments about women and discussed groping them without consent. “I’m out. I can no longer in good conscience endorse this person for president. It is some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine,” he said. (October 7, 2016)
Chaffetz previously voiced his support for Trump.
Barbara Comstock: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The Virginia representative announced she is withdrawing her support for Trump. “I cannot in good conscience vote for Donald Trump,” she told The Washington Post. (October 7, 2016)
Comstock previously said she had not yet decided whether to endorse or vote for the GOP nominee.
Martha Roby: NAY (was YEA)
Roby, who represents the Montgomery, Alabama, area says she will no longer support Trump. “Donald Trump's behavior makes him unacceptable as a candidate for president and I won't vote for him,” she said. (October 8, 2016)
Roby previously endorsed Trump after he won the nomination, while expressing reservations. (May 16, 2016)
Joe Heck: NAY (was YEA)
Heck, a Nevadan who is the GOP’s candidate for U.S. Senate, has withdrawn his support for Trump over a video in which Trump boasts about sexually assaulting women. He called on Trump to step down. (October 8, 2016)
Heck previously endorsed Trump.
Cresent Hardy: NAY (was YEA)
Hardy, who represents Nevada, says he will no longer support Trump. (October 8, 2016)
Hardy previously tried to say that while he supported the GOP nominee, he somehow did not “endorse” him. (August 31, 2016)
Mia Love: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The Utah representative has said that after the release of a video in which Trump boasts about sexually assaulting women, she cannot vote for him. “His behavior and bravado have reached a new low. I cannot vote for him," she said. "For the good of the party, he should step aside." She had not previously decided whether to back him. (October 8, 2016)
Will Hurd: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The Texan, who represents a swath of West Texas, told the El Paso Times, “I never endorsed Trump and I cannot in good conscience support or vote for a man who degrades women, insults minorities and has no clear path to keep our country safe.” (October 8, 2016)
Steve Knight: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
Knight, a Californian who represents parts of Los Angeles County, says he will not back Trump: “While I’ve never before endorsed a Presidential candidate, I’ve felt compelled to strongly condemn many of Mr. Trump’s previous outrageous remarks. And after serious consideration, I have decided that I cannot support either candidate for President.” (October 8, 2016)
John Katko: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The upstate New York representative, who had not previously endorsed Trump, now wants him to drop out. “I am certainly not going to vote for him,” he said. (October 8, 2016)
Kay Granger: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The Texan, who had not endorsed Trump, has called on him to withdraw in the wake of a video in which he boasts about sexually assaulting women. (October 8, 2016)
Rodney Davis: NAY (was YEA)
The Missouri representative has called on Trump to step down in favor of Mike Pence. “I am rescinding my support for Donald Trump and asking to have my name removed from his agriculture advisory committee,” he said. (October 8, 2016)
Davis endorsed Trump following the Republican primary. “I think what we have is a choice between two candidates for president, and the choice is pretty clear on which one is going to be tougher on national security issues, which one is going to put America's interest first,” he said.
Ann Wagner: NAY (was YEA)
The Missourian has called on Trump to step down and says she will not support for him. “As a strong and vocal 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,” she said. (October 8, 2016)
Wagner had previously endorsed Trump.
Chris Stewart: YEA
The Utahn called on Trump to withdraw in favor of Mike Pence, but he did not say whether he would vote for the GOP ticket if Trump did not. (October 8, 2016)
Stewart previously endorsed Trump despite having called him “our Mussolini.” (May 9, 2016)
Bradley Byrne: YEA (was UNCLEAR and YEA)
The Alabaman’s spokesman has clarified that Byrne intends to vote for the Trump ticket. (October 11, 2016)
Byrne previously said that Trump should step aside and allow Mike Pence to lead the ticket, but he did not say whether he would vote for Trump if he did not withdraw. (October 8, 2016)
Byrne had previously tepidly endorsed Trump. “It's not a choice between Hillary Clinton and somebody else. If you want to defeat Hillary Clinton, you must vote for Donald Trump,” he said. (July 25, 2016)
Tom Rooney: NAY (was YEA)
The Floridian says he will not vote for Trump in the wake of a video in which Trump boasted about sexually assaulting women. Rooney will also not vote for Clinton. (October 8, 2016)
Rooney was one of the earliest members of Congress to back Trump. “I’m a Republican and he’s our nominee. All these people who are saying they’re not going to support who the Republican primary electorate has chosen need to re-evaluate why they’re part of this team. The people have spoken and you have to respect that.” (May 4, 2016)
Erik Paulsen: NAY (was UNDECIDED and YEA)
The Minnesotan, who faces a tough reelection race, called a video in which Trump boasted about sexually assaulting women “disgusting and offensive,” adding, “I will not be voting for him.” (October 9, 2016)
Paulsen had previously promised to vote for the GOP nominee, but in August said that Trump had not yet earned his vote. (August 17, 2016)
Frank LoBiondo: NAY (was YEA)
The New Jersey representative says he will vote for Mike Pence instead of Donald Trump. “I cannot support and will not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton to be president of the United States,” he said. (October 8, 2016)
LoBiondo previously endorsed Trump.
Jamie Herrera Beutler: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The Washington representative says that in the wake of a video in which Trump boasts about sexually assaulting women, she will write in Speaker Paul Ryan for president. (October 8, 2016)
Herrerra Beutler had previously not endorsed Trump but said she hoped he would earn her support.
Senators
Mitch McConnell: YEA
The Senate majority leader issued a statement tepidly backing Trump. “I have committed to supporting the nominee chosen by Republican voters, and Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee is now on the verge of clinching that nomination,” he said. (May 4, 2016)
Ted Cruz: YEA (was APPARENT NAY and UNDECIDED)
The Texas senator, for months one of the highest profile holdouts among Republicans, has decided to endorse Donald Trump, he wrote in a Facebook post: “A year ago, I pledged to endorse the Republican nominee, and I am honoring that commitment. And if you don’t want to see a Hillary Clinton presidency, I encourage you to vote for him.” (September 23, 2016)
The Texas senator made his opinion about Trump fairly clear when he was given a prized speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Cruz refused to endorse the nominee, offering some barbed, double-edged comments like this: “Don’t stay home in November. Stand, and speak, and vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution.” He was booed off the stage. Trump then said he’d refuse to accept Cruz’s endorsement if offered, which doesn’t seem likely to be an issue.
Cruz had previously floated the idea—likely unrealistic—of reanimating his suspending campaign and refused to endorse Trump. “We’ll see what happens as the months go forward, I think we need to watch and see what the candidates say and do,” he told Glenn Beck. (May 10, 2016)
In dropping out of the Republican race after losing to Trump, Cruz did not make any indication whether he was willing to back his rival. (May 3, 2016)
Jeff Sessions: YEA
The Alabama senator was Trump’s first endorser from the Senate, and he has been a high-profile backer and adviser to Trump’s campaign.
Susan Collins: NAY (was UNDECIDED)
The moderate Maine senator writes in a Washington Post column that she has decided she cannot vote for Trump. “I have become increasingly dismayed by his constant stream of cruel comments and his inability to admit error or apologize,” she writes. “But it was his attacks directed at people who could not respond on an equal footing—either because they do not share his power or stature or because professional responsibility precluded them from engaging at such a level—that revealed Mr. Trump as unworthy of being our president.” She has not said for whom she will vote. (August 9, 2016)
Collins previously told Time that she was in wait-and-see mode. “I’ve said from the point that it became obvious that Donald Trump was going to be the Republican candidate that I’d always supported previous presidential nominees of my party but that in this case I was going to wait and see what happened and that is what I am continuing to do.” (June 7, 2016)
Having previously said that her backing from Trump would be contingent upon a shift in his rhetoric, Collins then said she would support the nominee. (May 6, 2016)
Collins said: “I have always supported the Republican nominee for president, and I suspect I would do so this year, but I do want see what Donald Trump does from here on out.” To win her vote, “He’s going to have stop with gratuitous personal insults,” she said, amusingly. (May 4, 2016)
John McCain: NAY (was YEA)
The Arizona senator and 2008 GOP presidential nominee, who is in a tight reelection battle, has announced he no longer supports Trump. “I thought it important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set,” he said in a statement. “But 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.” (October 8, 2016)
McCain released a scorching statement criticizing Trump for his comments about Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan, but he did not revoke his support. (August 1, 2016)
McCain has said publicly that he’ll back the nominee. In a private recording obtained by Politico, however, he frets that Trump endangers his reelection effort, while his former top aide Mark Salter is backing Clinton. (May 5, 2016)
Kelly Ayotte: NAY (was YEA)
The New Hampshire senator says she will not vote for Trump in the wake of a video in which he boasts of sexually assaulting women. “I wanted to be able to support my party’s nominee,” she said, but “I am a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate who brags about degrading and assaulting women.” (October 8, 2016)
Like her friend John McCain, the New Hampshire senator attacked Trump for his feud with Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan, pronouncing herself “appalled” but giving no indication that she will withdraw backing for Trump. (August 1, 2016)
Ayotte, who is also in a tight reelection battle, previously said she plans to “support” but not “endorse” Trump, whatever that means. (May 5, 2016)
Rand Paul: YEA
In a fascinating interview with WDRB (via Reason), the Kentucky senator and former presidential candidate said citizens should vote their conscience, while suggesting that he was only publicly backing Trump because he had pledged during the primary to support the nominee. “I've made my complaints about our nominee quite explicit. I continue to do so, but also don't see it as my job now—the thing is, is: I do think that my word is important. I signed a document, not under duress, but I signed a document saying I wouldn't run as a third party and I will support the nominee.” (August 2, 2016)
Paul has said he will support Trump. (His father, ex-congressman and presidential contender Ron Paul, says he will not.) (May 4, 2016)
Lindsey Graham: NAY
The South Carolina senator and former presidential candidate blasted Trump following the nominee’s attacks on Judge Gonzalo Curiel, saying fellow Republicans should withdraw their endorsements. “This is the most un-American thing from a politician since Joe McCarthy,” he said. “If anybody was looking for an off-ramp, this is probably it. There’ll come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary.” (June 7, 2016)
Graham was one of Trump’s most prominent critics during the primary, even endorsing Cruz even though he’d previously likened the choice between him and Trump to a choice between poisoning and being shot. The day Trump won Indiana, Graham tweeted:
If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 3, 2016
Graham says he will not vote for either Trump or Clinton. (May 6, 2016)
Ben Sasse: NAY
The Nebraska freshman senator was another anti-Trump ringleader, and has been suggested as a third-party candidate. In a long Facebook post, he explained why he’s still not backing Trump. (May 4, 2016)
Marco Rubio: SOFT YEA
The Florida senator and former presidential candidate said he does not plan to attend the Republican National Convention, but he has not made any statement changing his stance on Trump. (July 6, 2016)
In an interview with The Weekly Standard, Rubio said that although he has backed Trump, who he views as preferable to Hillary Clinton, he still believes what he said during the presidential campaign: That Trump is unfit for the presidency and cannot be trusted with the nation’s nuclear arsenal. (June 9, 2016)
Rubio, who previously referred to Trump as a “con artist,” now says he backs Trump, will attend the Republican National Convention, and will release his remaining delegates to Trump. “I want to be helpful. I don't want to be harmful, because I don't want Hillary Clinton to be president,” he told Jake Tapper. (May 26, 2016)
Rubio had previously not spoken about the race since Trump became the presumptive nominee, but in late April he said that he’d support Trump in order to beat Hillary Clinton. (April 21, 2016)
Rob Portman: NAY (was YEA)
The Ohio senator has withdrawn his endorsement of Trump. “While I continue to respect those who still support Donald Trump, I can no longer support him,” he said in a statement. “I continue to believe our country cannot afford a Hillary Clinton presidency. I will be voting for Mike Pence for President.” (October 8, 2016)
Portman, who now seems to have the clear upper-hand in his reelection fight, previously said he’d back the Republican nominee. Most recently, he said that having Trump on the ticket would be positive for his own hopes. (May 5, 2016)
Richard Burr: YEA
The North Carolinian, who also faces a tough reelection, supports Trump. (May 4, 2016)
2/3: I look forward to working with Mr. Trump at the top of the ticket and to maintaining a #GOP Senate.
— Richard Burr (@Burrforsenate) May 4, 2016
Roy Blunt: YEA
The Missourian, who is up for reelection, says he will support the nominee. (May, 5, 2016)
Ron Johnson: YEA
The Wisconsin senator, who is battling predecessor Russ Feingold, is one of the most precarious Republicans this year. He tepidly backed Trump. “As Ron has repeatedly said for months, he intends to support the Republican nominee, but he's focused on the concerns of Wisconsinites—not national political winds,” a spokesman told Roll Call. (May 5, 2016)
Pat Toomey: UNDECIDED
The Pennsylvania senator, another endangered incumbent, has not