Former Republican Party member and Bush family adviser Sally Bradshaw told CNN Monday that she has left the GOP and will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in her native Florida on election day if the race is close -- as a means to deny Donald Trump the presidency. Bradshaw said she is sickened by the critical remarks of Trump, particularly toward a Muslim family who appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week. File Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI |
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ATLANTA, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- As some discontent endures among Republicans over the party's official nominee, a GOP strategist who for decades advised the Bush family in major presidential races said she has left the party and might cast her vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in tightly-contested Florida.
Former Bush adviser Sally Bradshaw told CNN Monday that she is dissatisfied that the Republican Party is at "a crossroads" and that it nominated a "total narcissist" for president in Donald Trump.
News of Bradshaw's departure might be a jaw-dropper to some, seeing as how she spent decades backing GOP candidates -- including George H.W. Bush's successful 1988 campaign and Jeb Bush's unsuccessful bid this year.
"This is a time when country has to take priority over political parties. Donald Trump cannot be elected president," she told CNN, also calling the New York businessman a "misogynist" and a "bigot."
Bradshaw said she has already switched her party registration from Republican to unaffiliated.
A resident of hotly battleground Florida, Bradshaw also said she will likely vote for Clinton if the race is close, as expected -- not to support the former secretary of state, but rather to block Trump.
"As much as I don't want another four years of [President] Obama's policies, I can't look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump," she continued. "I can't tell them to love their neighbor and treat others the way they wanted to be treated, and then vote for Donald Trump.
"I won't do it."
Video: CNN
Bradshaw cited numerous reasons why she opposes Trump, but specifically cited his recent criticisms of Khizr Khan -- the man who stirred emotions last week at the Democratic National Convention talking of his Muslim son, a U.S. Army captain who was killed overseas by a suicide bomber in 2004.
During his remarks, Khan criticized Trump for advocating a ban on all Muslims entering the United States. Trump responded by insinuating that Khan's wife, Ghazala, was not allowed to speak at the convention even though she stood next to him for his entire speech.
Trump has also accused Khan of continuing his attacks after his speech in Philadelphia.
Bradshaw called the remarks "despicable" and said they made her "sick to my stomach."
Trump's remarks about the Khans have drawn near universal condemnation from Democratic and Republican officials -- including Bradshaw's former boss.
"This is so incredibly disrespectful of a family that endured the ultimate sacrifice for our country," Jeb Bush, tweeted over the weekend.
"Donald Trump belittled a woman who gave birth to a son who died fighting for the United States. If anything, that reinforced my decision to become an independent voter," Bradshaw added. "Vets and their family have more than earned the right to those views. Someone with the temperament to be president would understand and respect that."
Video: CNN
