WASHINGTON — After Friday’s video revealing sexually aggressive comments made by Donald Trump in 2005, these Republicans have either rescinded previous endorsements of Donald Trump, made a final determination that they will not support Trump, or asked Trump to leave the presidential race and let Indiana Gov. Mike Pence run at the top of the ticket. The list does not include Republicans such as House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who issued condemnations but did not pull endorsements or advocate any action against Trump.
SENATORS
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.): The No. 3 Republican in the Senate tweeted, “Donald Trump should withdraw and Mike Pence should be our nominee effective immediately.”
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.): “I have raised questions about his character after his comments on Prisoners of War, the Khan Gold Star family, Judge Curiel and earlier inappropriate comments about women. Just this week, he made outrageous statements about the innocent men in the Central Park Five case,” McCain said in a statement. “As I said yesterday, there are no excuses for Donald Trump’s offensive and demeaning comments in the just released video; no woman should ever be victimized by this kind of inappropriate behavior. He alone bears the burden of his conduct and alone should suffer the consequences.” The senator said he would “write in the name of some good conservative Republican who is qualified to be president.”
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.): “I cannot and will not support someone who brags about degrading and assaulting women,” Gardner said in a statement. “…If Donald Trump wishes to defeat Hillary Clinton, he should do the only thing that will allow us to do so — step aside, and allow Mike Pence to be the Republican Party’s nominee.” The senator added that he’ll write-in Pence on the ballot.
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.): “The comments made by Mr. Trump were disgusting and totally unacceptable under any circumstance,” she tweeted. “It would be wise for him to step aside and allow Mike Pence to serve as our party’s nominee.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): “Offensive and inappropriate statements made by Donald Trump throughout this campaign have caused me to withhold my support or an endorsement,” she said in a statement on her campaign website. “…The video that surfaced yesterday further revealed his true character. He not only objectified women, he bragged about preying upon them. I cannot and will not support Donald Trump for President – he has forfeited the right to be our party’s nominee. He must step aside.”
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho): “I have reached the decision that I can no longer endorse Donald Trump. This is not a decision that I have reached lightly, but his pattern of behavior has left me no choice,” the senator wrote on his Facebook page. “His repeated actions and comments toward women have been disrespectful, profane and demeaning. I have spent more than two decades working on domestic violence prevention. Trump’s most recent excuse of ‘locker room talk’ is completely unacceptable and is inconsistent with protecting women from abusive, disparaging treatment.” Crapo encouraged Trump to step aside and let Pence take the top of the ticket.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.): In a debate with challenger Gov. Maggie Hassan this week, Ayotte was asked if Trump could be a role model for children. “There are many role models that we have, and I believe he can serve as president, and so absolutely,” the senator replied. After the debate, Ayotte said she “misspoke” and “neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton have set a good example and I wouldn’t hold up either of them as role models for my kids.” Today, Ayotte issued a statement saying “a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women.” Ayotte said she will write in Pence.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska): The senator and former state attorney general stressed that throughout his career he’s worked to combat sexual assault and domestic violence and “worked to encourage men to choose respect and change the culture of abuse against women and children, which is at epidemic levels in Alaska and many parts of the country.” Sullivan said the country needs leaders “who can lead by example on this critical issue,” and the “reprehensible revelations about Donald Trump have shown that he can’t — therefore, I am withdrawing my support for his candidacy.” Sullivan supports Pence for president.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.): The senator said she was “deeply offended by Mr. Trump’s remarks” and added “the appropriate next step may be for him to reexamine his candidacy.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah): The senator used a Facebook livestream late Friday night. “Your conduct, sir, is the distraction,” Lee said. “It’s the distraction from the very principles that will help us win in November. You yourself, sir, Mr. Trump, have stated repeatedly that the goal, the objective, has got to be to defeat Hillary Clinton in November. I couldn’t agree more. Mr. Trump, I respectfully ask you, with all due respect to step aside. Step down. Allow someone else to carry the banner of these principles.”
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.): The senator, who like Lee has never supported Trump, tweeted that the GOP nominee “is wrong about his level of support. He needs to withdraw from the race.”
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.): The famously #NeverTrump senator tweeted, “Character matters. @realDonaldTrump is obviously not going to win. But he can still make an honorable move: Step aside & let Mike Pence try.”
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.): “DJT is a malignant clown – unprepared and unfit to be president of the United States,” he tweeted, adding that Trump “should drop out” and the party “should engage rules for emergency replacement.”
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah): The congresswoman had not yet endorsed Trump, and wrote on her Facebook page that “his behavior and bravado have reached a new low. I cannot vote for him. For the good of the party, and the country, he should step aside. I will not vote for Hillary Clinton who has her own trouble with the truth, has a major integrity deficit and seems to hold a disdain for hard-working Americans.”
Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.): The congressman running to fill the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told a rally in Las Vegas today that he “cannot, in good conscience, continue to support [Trump] nor can I vote for Hillary Clinton” as “my wife, my daughters, my mother, my sister and all women deserve better. The American people deserve better.”
Rep. Cresent Hardy (R-Nev.): “I will no longer support him, because I think when we degrade that mother, wife and housewife … you degrade America,” Hardy told GOPs at the Vegas rally with Heck.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah): “I’m out. I can no longer endorse Donald Trump for president,” Chaffetz told CNN on Friday. “There’s no possible way I vote for Hillary Clinton. But, these are abhorrent. They are wrong. To use a baseball metaphor, I’ve got to call balls and strikes the way I see them… I’m not going to put my good name and reputation, and my family behind Donald Trump for president when he acts like this. I just can’t — I just can’t do it.”
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.): “As Americans we are faced with two strikingly bad choices: Donald Trump, who has abused women, and Hillary Clinton who has enabled the abuse of women,” he said in a statement. “It’s all wrong. For my part, I ask that Donald Trump step aside and allow Mike Pence to become the Republican nominee.”
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.): He called Trump’s comments “inexcusable” and said Pence “would be the best nominee for the Republican Party to defeat Hillary Clinton.”
Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.): “As disappointed as I’ve been with his antics throughout this campaign, I thought supporting the nominee was the best thing for our country and our party,” Roby said. “Now, it is abundantly clear that the best thing for our country and our party is for Trump to step aside and allow a responsible, respectable Republican to lead the ticket.”
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.): The congressman said he will write in Pence for president.
Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.): “If I support him for President, I will be telling my boys that I think it’s okay to treat women like objects — and I’ll have failed as a dad,” Rooney said. “Therefore, I can no longer support Donald Trump for President and will not be voting for him or Hillary Clinton.”
Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.): “It is now clear Donald Trump is not fit to be President of the United States and cannot defeat Hillary Clinton,” Byrne said. “I believe he should step aside and allow Governor Pence to lead the Republican ticket.”
Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.): The congresswoman’s challenger has been running ads in the D.C. suburbs linking Comstock to Trump. “This is disgusting, vile, and disqualifying. No woman should ever be subjected to this type of obscene behavior and it is unbecoming of anybody seeking high office,” Comstock said. “In light of these comments, Donald Trump should step aside and allow our party to replace him with Mike Pence or another appropriate nominee from the Republican Party.”
Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.): “For the good of the country, and to give the Republicans a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump should step aside,” Coffman said. “…Put the country first and do the right thing.”
Rep. Rodney Davis (R- Mo.): Davis said Trump’s comments were anathema to work the congressman has been doing to combat assaults on college campuses. “Because of this, I am rescinding my support for Donald Trump and asking to have my name removed from his agriculture advisory committee,” Davis said. “With the terrible options America has right now, I cannot cast my vote for any of the candidates, so I hope Donald Trump withdraws from the race so the American people can elect Mike Pence as our next president.”
Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah): “Unlike the Democrats who have proven completely unwilling to hold secretary Clinton accountable for her illegal activities that endangered our national security, I am willing to hold Mr. Trump accountable,” Stewart said. “I am therefore calling for him to step aside and to allow Mike Pence to lead our party.”
Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.): “I urge him to think about our country over his own candidacy and carefully consider stepping aside from the ticket.”
Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.): “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,” Wagner said, withdrawing her endorsements and calling for Pence to top the ticket.
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.): Has called on Republican National Committee chairman to step aside if he can’t rein in Trump. “Someone needs to get to work on this really quickly,” Dent told CNN today. “…If [Trump’s] made himself unelectable, how does that help the Supreme Court?”
GOVERNORS
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert: Pinned this tweet on his Twitter page: “Donald Trump’s statements are beyond offensive & despicable. While I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, I will not vote for Trump.”
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley: “I certainly won’t vote for Hillary Clinton, but I cannot and will not vote for Donald Trump,” he said in a statement to state media.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval: “This video exposed not just words, but now an established pattern which I find to be repulsive and unacceptable for a candidate for president of the United States. I cannot support him as my party’s nominee.”
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard: “Enough is enough. Donald Trump should withdraw in favor of Governor Mike Pence. This election is too important.”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich: “It’s clear that he hasn’t changed and has no interest in doing so. As a result, Donald Trump is a man I cannot and should not support,” Kasich, who skipped the GOP convention in his home state, said in a statement. “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. I will not vote for a nominee who has behaved in a manner that reflects so poorly on our country. Our country deserves better.”
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: He tweeted a statement noting that for the first time since becoming a citizen in 1983, he will not vote Republican — though he’s undecided on “how exactly I will vote next month.” He reminded fellow Republicans “it is not only acceptable to choose your country over your party — it is your duty.”
OTHER PROMINENT GOPs
Former GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina: “Donald Trump does not represent me or my party. I understand the responsibility of Republicans to support their nominee. Our nominee has weighty responsibilities as well. Donald Trump has manifestly failed in these responsibilities,” Fiorina wrote on her Facebook page. “…Today I ask Donald Trump to step aside and for the RNC to replace him with Gov. Mike Pence.”
Former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney: “Hitting on married women? Condoning assault? Such vile degradations demean our wives and daughters and corrupt America’s face to the world,” he tweeted.
Former Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush: “As the grandfather of two precious girls, I find that no apology can excuse away Donald Trump’s reprehensible comments degrading women,” he tweeted in a post that has been retweeted or favorited nearly 200,000 times.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: Posted on her Facebook page, “Enough! Donald Trump should not be President. He should withdraw. 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.”
Darryl Glenn: The Colorado GOP Senate nominee called on Trump “to do the honorable, selfless thing — voluntarily step aside” and let Pence lead the ticket.
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