Meg Whitman latest high-profile Republican to endorse Clinton

Meg Whitman, a Silicon Valley executive and onetime California gubernatorial candidate, on Tuesday joined a growing list of high-profile Republicans to forcefully denounce Donald Trump and declare they will vote for Hillary Clinton in November.  

Calling the Republican presidential nominee a "dishonest demagogue" in a New York Times interview , Whitman said she would throw her weight behind Clinton's campaign, offering a substantial contribution and her services as a fundraiser.  

"Trump's reckless and uninformed positions on critical issues -- from immigration to our economy to foreign policy -- have made it abundantly clear that he lacks both the policy depth and sound judgment required as President," she said in a Facebook post . "Trump's unsteady hand would endanger our prosperity and national security. His authoritarian character could threaten much more."

Whitman was a leading fundraiser for Mitt Romney in 2008 and the chairwoman of Gov. Chris Christie's presidential finance team this year. She is the current CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and reportedly has a net worth of over $2 billion.  

Her Facebook post was shared thousands of times and received over 30 thousand likes. Comments included notes of encouragement from Clinton backers, and expressions of disdain from some who said they could not understand why a Republican would vote for the party's longtime nemesis.  

"Meg, you put your country over your party and you'll never regret it," California lieutenant governor and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom posted. "Thanks for doing what's right."  

A Facebook user named Bill Ritchie, whose profile says he lives in Wisconsin, was among the first to post from the other side.  

"You have got to be kidding me!" Ritchie posted. "Both options suck, but to praise and support a lying, murderous woman who can't seam [sic] to operate an email correctly is beyond me!"

Whitman's announcement follows similar proclamations from several prominent Republicans, including Sally Bradshaw, a Florida GOP strategist who advised former Gov. Jeb Bush during his presidential primary campaign, Maria Comella, a former top advisor to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Rep. Richard Hanna of New York.  

The defections prompted a humorous observation from New York Times political correspondent Alex Burns, who noted the array of characters --from socialist Bernie Sanders to former Bush state department official Richard W. Armitage -- who are now aligned.

Weird election that has Meg Whitman, Bernie Sanders, John Allen, Mike Bloomberg, Randi Weingarten & Richard Armitage all on the same side

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) August 3, 2016