By Aaron Blake
Richard Armitage, Henry Paulson, Brent Scowcroft. Three big-name former George W. Bush administration officials in the past two weeks have announced that they are supporting Hillary Clinton in 2016 — all because Donald Trump is simply a bridge too far for them.
"When it comes to the presidency, I will not vote for Donald Trump," Paulson wrote in The Washington Post last week. "I will not cast a write-in vote. I’ll be voting for Hillary Clinton, with the hope that she can bring Americans together to do the things necessary to strengthen our economy, our environment and our place in the world. To my Republican friends: I know I’m not alone."
He's not. And below are the big names that are with him — or, perhaps more accurately, with her.
(A note: While many, many Republicans have declined to embrace Trump's candidacy, a growing but significantly smaller group has gone so far as to express support for Clinton. This list focuses on the latter, and it will be updated in the weeks ahead.)
Bush administration officials
Henry Paulson, treasury secretary
Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state and adviser to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush — Trump "doesn't appear to be to be a Republican, he doesn't appear to want to learn about issues. So I’m going to vote for Mrs. Clinton."
Brent Scowcroft, chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board and adviser to three previous GOP presidents — "The presidency requires the judgment and knowledge to make tough calls under pressure.... [Clinton] has the wisdom and experience to lead our country at this critical time."
Alan Steinberg, regional EPA administrator
Kori Schake, National Security Council and State Department aide
Advisers to previous GOP presidents
Doug Elmets, former Reagan spokesman — "I could live with four years of Hillary Clinton before I could ever live with one day of Donald Trump as president."
Jim Cicconi, former Reagan and George H.W. Bush aide — "Hillary Clinton is experienced, qualified and will make a fine president. The alternative, I fear, would set our nation on a very dark path.”
Foreign policy leaders
Robert Kagan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a co-founder of the Project for the New American Century
Max Boot, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and adviser to GOP presidential candidates — "I'm literally losing sleep over Donald Trump. She would be vastly preferable to Trump."
Peter Mansoor, retired Army colonel and former aide to David Petraeus — "It will be the first Democratic presidential candidate I’ve voted for in my adult life."
Business leaders/donors
Marc Andreessen, venture capitalist — "[Silicon] Valley wouldn't be here, we wouldn't be doing any of this if we didn't have the amazing flow of immigrants that we've had in the last 80 years. And the idea of choking that off just makes me sick to my stomach."
Dan Akerson, former chairman and chief executive of General Motors — "Serving as the leader of the free world requires effective leadership, sound judgment, a steady hand and, most importantly, the temperament to deal with crises large and small. Donald Trump lacks each of these characteristics."
Chuck Robbins, chief executive of Cisco
Hamid Moghadam, chairman and chief executive of Prologis — "Our country is about tolerance and inclusion and that's why, as a lifelong Republican supporter, I endorse Hillary Clinton for president in this election."
William Oberndorf, $3 million to GOP candidates since 2012 — "If it is Trump vs. Clinton, and there is no viable third-party candidate, I will be voting for Hillary Clinton."
Mike Fernandez, $4 million to GOP candidates in recent years — "If I have a choice — and you can put it in bold — if I have a choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton, I’m choosing Hillary. She’s the lesser of two evils."
Former Republican elected officials
Larry Pressler, former three-term Republican senator from South Dakota who lost an independent campaign for his old seat in 2014 — "I can’t believe I’m endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, but I am. If someone had told me 10 years ago I would do this, I wouldn’t have believed them."
Arne Carlson, a former two-term Republican governor of Minnesota who supported President Obama
Robert Smith, former New York state Supreme Court justice — "This year, I’m going to vote for a Democrat for president — the first time I’ve done it in 36 years — and I think the decision is easy. Hillary Clinton is the only responsible choice, and I don’t understand why so few of my fellow conservatives see it that way."
Political operatives
Mark Salter, former top adviser to John McCain — "Whatever Hillary Clinton’s faults, she’s not ignorant or hateful or a nut. She acts like an adult and understands the responsibilities of an American president. That might not be a ringing endorsement. But in 2016, the year of Trump’s s campaign, it’s more than enough."
Mike Treiser, former Mitt Romney aide — "In the face of bigotry, hatred, violence, and small-mindedness, this time, I’m with her.”
Craig Snyder, former chief of staff to then-Republican former senator Arlen Specter (Pa.) and also an ex-colleague of former top Trump adviser Roger Stone and current top Trump adviser Paul Manafort.
Journalists
Ben Howe, editor at RedState.com
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/30/heres-the-growing-list-of-big-name-republicans-supporting-hillary-clinton/
