Bradshaw,
who's been close to the former Florida governor for decades and was
senior adviser to his 2016 campaign, officially switched her
registration to unaffiliated. She told CNN's Jamie Gangel in an email
interview that the GOP is "at a crossroads and have nominated a total
narcissist -- a misogynist -- a bigot."
"This is a time when country has to take
priority over political parties. Donald Trump cannot be elected
president," Bradshaw said.
The
departure from the Republican Party of a Bush loyalist -- Bradshaw began
her career working for George H.W. Bush's 1988 campaign -- is the
latest sign of an influential and respected member of the GOP
establishment turning against Trump.
"This
election cycle is a test," Bradshaw said. "As much as I don't want
another four years of (President Barack) Obama's policies, I can't look
my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump. 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."
Her decision comes amid controversy over Trump's criticism of the family of an Muslim-American soldier killed in action in Iraq in 2004. Bradshaw called that remark "despicable," saying it "made me sick to my stomach."
"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," she said.
"Every family who loses a loved one in service to our country or who has
a family member who serves in the military should be honored,
regardless of their political views. 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."
Bradshaw said the latest incident reinforced how she was feeling about the decision she's long weighed.
Her
move goes beyond what other Republicans have said or done, although
many top leaders in the GOP -- including Sen. John McCain, House Speaker
Paul Ryan and Sen. Mitch McConnell, among others -- have made it clear
that they have a big problem with Trump's comments about a Gold Star
family. But none have, as of yet, withdrawn their endorsements or
support.
"I've been considering the switch for
months. Ultimately, I could not abide the hateful rhetoric of Donald
Trump and his complete lack of principles and conservative philosophy,"
she said. "I didn't make this decision lightly -- I have worked hard to
make our party a place where all would feel welcome. But Trump has taken
the GOP in another direction, and too many Republicans are standing by
and looking the other way."
Bradshaw
served as Jeb Bush's campaign manager when Bush ran unsuccessfully for
Florida governor in the early 1990s and again four years later when he
won.
Bradshaw
said she hasn't yet decided who she'll vote for -- though "it obviously
won't be Trump. I haven't made a decision yet between Clinton, Gary
Johnson or writing in a candidate."
"If
the race in Florida is close, I will vote for Hillary Clinton," she
said. "That is a very difficult statement for me to make. I disagree
with her on several important issues. I have worked to elect Republicans
to national and statewide offices for the last 30 years. I have never
voted for a Democrat for president, and I consider myself a
conservative, a supporter of limited government, gun rights, free
enterprise, equality of opportunity. I am pro-life. There are no other
candidates who were serious contenders for the nomination that I would
not have supported.
"But," she
said, "we are at a crossroads and have nominated a total narcissist -- a
misogynist -- a bigot. This is a time when country has to take priority
over political parties. Donald Trump cannot be elected president."
Analyzing
the GOP primary in which Jeb Bush failed to attract a significant share
of the vote and dropped out early, Bradshaw pointed to a fractured
field, with Trump able to consistently capture one-third of the vote
early.
"I really fault the
candidates who did not speak out against Trump until the end of the
primary cycle. Lindsay Graham and Jeb Bush spoke out early and
consistently -- but most did not, fearful of offending that segment of
the party or positioning themselves for future office," she said in her
email.
Bradshaw said she sees voting against Trump as "the only real choice for reasonable, thoughtful Republicans to make."
"Our
president must represent what is good about America -- a belief in
opportunity for all -- regardless of race and gender and background --
to rise up and live the American dream," she said. "A president can't
tear down Hispanics, or mock someone who is disabled, or use symbols in
campaign literature that Jewish voters understandably find offensive. To
continue to be the hope of the world, all Americans regardless of party
affiliation have to reject him."
She
added: "If and when the party regains its sanity, I'll be ready to
return. But until Republicans send a message to party leadership that
this cannot stand, nothing will ever change.
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