This series tracks prominent Republicans and Trump associates who are now campaigning against him. Read part one here, part two here and part three here. Click on name for the source of the quote.
28. Jeff Flake, former Republican congressman for Arizona
"My fellow Republicans, it is time to risk your careers in favor of your principles. Whether you believe the president deserves impeachment, you know he does not deserve reelection. Our country will have more presidents. But principles, well, we get just one crack at those."
29. Mark Sanford, former South Carolina governor and Republican congressman
“We [Republicans] have lost our way on debts and deficits and spending ... We have a president that will tell numerous dis-truths in the course of a day, yet that’s not challenged. What is cancerous here is in an open political system, there has to be some measure of objective truth.”
30. Sarah Longwell, Republican consultant, publisher of The Bulwark
“Dissident Republicans range from suburban moderates to rural evangelicals. Some are becoming politically active for the first time ... Most will vote for Biden in November. Biden understands America, what it stands for and what it means in a way Trump does not, never has and never will.”
31. Carson Putnam, spokesman for Republicans for the Rule of Law
“President Trump is claiming new authorities to tell states when they can reopen, while denying all responsibility for the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. His job is to be a leader – not a king, not a commentator, not a rabble rouser, but a responsible leader in a time of crisis.”
32. Charlie Dent, former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania
“I remember a time not long ago when Republicans like me supported free trade and attempted to cut and limit agricultural subsidies ... Not anymore. Sycophancy is the order of the moment, as it's more important to be on the Trump train no matter the offense or wanton cruelty. What a shameful state of affairs this has become.”
33. Stuart Stevens, Republican director of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign
“Republicans are now officially the character doesn’t count party, the personal responsibility just proves you have failed to blame the other guy party, the deficit doesn’t matter party, the Russia is our ally party, and the I’m-right-and-you-are-human-scum party. Yes, it’s President Trump’s party now.”
34. Nancy, school teacher in Oklahoma
“The Republicans I grew up around are nothing like the Republicans I see today. In fact, I wonder, who are these people? I voted for Donald Trump in 2016, reluctantly. I hoped that we could get through four years without a major crisis. Well, I lost that bet ... And I’m just appalled.”
35. Amanda Carpenter, former senior communications staffer to Republican senators Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint.
“In 2016, the matter of Trump’s competence and whether it would impact America was speculative. We have a record now about how it has – 138,000 dead. Schools shut down across America. Families who can’t see each other. Millions of people forced out of work. All because he incompetently denied the threat, existence, and deadliness of the virus.”
And from the archives:
36. Lezlee Westine, director of the Office of Public Liaison under George W Bush:
“Our nation faces a unique set of challenges that require steady and experienced leadership. That is why today I am personally supporting Hillary Clinton.” [8 August, 2016]
To be continued ...
Readers’ tips in the comments are invited.