Republicans Abandoning Gop Under Trump: Justin Amash Joins Growing List Of High
Representative Justin Amash announced on Thursday that he was “declaring my independence and leaving the Republican Party,” joining a growing list of lawmakers and pundits who have abandoned the GOP in the era of Donald Trump.
In an op-ed published by The Washington Post, Amash wrote that “modern politics is trapped in a partisan death spiral.” He encouraged Americans to join him in rejecting the country’s two-party system in order to “preserve liberty.”
“No matter your circumstance, I’m asking you to join me in rejecting the partisan loyalties and rhetoric that divide and dehumanize us. I’m asking you to believe that we can do better than this two-party system and to work toward it. If we continue to take America for granted, we will lose it,” he concluded.
Amash was the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Trump. He argued that special counsel Robert Mueller’s report showed Trump engaged in impeachable offenses while in office and that Attorney General William Barr knowingly misled the public about the key findings of the investigation.
In June, Amash stepped down from the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline Republicans who have become some of Trump’s biggest supporters. Amash was a founding member of the caucus.
President Trump reacted to Amash’s departure on Twitter, calling the Michigan lawmaker “one of the dumbest & most disloyal men in Congress.”
George Conway
Andy McKean
Independent Or Other Party To Republican
- 1941 Henrik Shipstead, while U.S. Senator from Minnesota, switched from the Farmer-Labor Party to the Republican Party.
- 2011 Joel Robideaux, while a Louisiana State Representative. He was initially elected as an independent.
- 2016 Blake Filippi, Rhode Island State Representative, switched from Independent to Republican; he had also been Republican previously until 2012.
Louisiana Voters Have Left The Republican Party Since Us Capitol Insurrection
BATON ROUGE, La. Party registration data from the secretary of states office reveals that roughly 7,800 Louisiana voters have left the Republican Party since the attack on the Capitol on January 6.
Dips in registrants for the party have been seen around the country. A report from The New York Times found more than 100,000 Republicans left the party in a number of states in the weeks after the U.S. Capitol riots, and Louisianas voter registration numbers mirror that trend.
Tanner Magee, the second-ranking Republican in the Louisiana House as its speaker pro tempore, cited the challenges national politics creates for public officials at home.
;Im not sure theres anything that I can do on a state level other than try to be the best legislator I can and do the best for the state of Louisiana, and hopefully, if you have some people out there that are more state-focused in their thoughts, that might mean something to them, said Magee.
The Republican Party lost 5,503 registrants in January, 1,709 in February and 598 in March. The three months of losses came after more than 12 months of steady increases in Republican registrations.
Democrats lost over 8,000 voter registrations in Louisiana between January and April. But unlike the Republican Party, Democrats saw losses in most months in 2020 and 2021.
Many of the rioters have said they swarmed the Capitol to try to prevent Congress from certifying an election that former President Donald Trump had disputed.
Don’t Miss: When Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Platforms
Democratic To Republican To Democratic
- 1854 – Francis Preston Blair, a supporter of presidents Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln who became disillusioned with radical Reconstruction policies.
- 1854 – Francis Preston Blair Jr., Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1868. His family had been unwavering supporters of Republican Abraham Lincoln, but he opposed the post-war Reconstruction policy. He had earlier been a friend of Democrat Thomas Hart Benton, and like his father he had also been a member of the Free Soil Party.
- 1854 – Montgomery Blair, Postmaster General for President Lincoln. His family left the Democratic Party to join the Republican Party, but he re-joined the Democratic Party after the war.
- 1965 Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania . He was a Republican from 1965 to 2009 and a Democrat from 1951 to 1965 and 2009 to 2012.
- 2003 Johnny Ford, Alabama State Representative.
- 2008 Jim Bradford, South Dakota State Representative.
- 2009 Parker Griffith, former U.S. Representative from Alabama . Joined the Republican Party in 2009, but returned to the Democratic Party in 2014.
- 2012 Artur Davis, former U.S. Representative from Alabama . Joined the Republican Party in 2012, but returned to the Democratic Party in 2015.
- 2015 Joe Baca, former U.S. Representative from California . Joined the Republican Party in 2015, but returned to the Democratic Party in 2018.
Democratic To Other Party
- 1878 Hendrick Bradley Wright, U.S Representative from Pennsylvania , ran for reelection on the Greenback Party
- 1884 Absolom M. West, member of the Mississippi State Senate. He joined the Greenback Party and was their Vice Presidential candidate in 1884.
- 1996 Daniel Hamburg, former U.S. Representative to Green Party
- 1999 Audie Bock, California State Assemblywoman to Green Party
- 2000 Matt Gonzalez, Supervisor of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to Green Party.
- 2002 Tim Penny, former U.S Representative from Minnesota to Independence Party of Minnesota
- 2005 Jim Lendall, Arkansas State Representative joined the Green Party.
- 2006 Bill Paparian, Mayor of Pasadena to Green Party.
- 2007 Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Representative from Georgia to Green Party
- 2018 Shane Robinson, Maryland House Representative to .
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Gop Registration Drop After Capitol Attack Is Part Of Larger Trend
WASHINGTON In the weeks since the January riot at the Capitol, there has been a raft of stories about voters across the country leaving the Republican Party. Some of the numbers are eye-catching and suggest that the GOP may be shrinking before our eyes, but a closer look at the numbers over time shows that a larger change has been working its way through the party for some time.
In fact, when one takes into account shifts in the composition of the Democratic Party, the real story seems to be more about a deeper remaking of the nations two major political parties.
To be sure, the headlines from the last few weeks have been striking, with multiple states reporting large declines in Republican voter registrations.
In Pennsylvania, more than 12,000 Republicans dropped the “R” from their registrations in January. In North Carolina, the figure was close to 8,000. In Arizona the figure was about 9,200 through late-January. And in one county in California, San Diego, more than 4,700 Republicans left the party last month.
Those are sizable changes and they are much larger than the moves away from the Democrats in those places, but they come with some caveats. There are always some losses and gains in registrations for the Democrats and Republicans. Partisan identity can be fluid for a large chunk of the voters, and remember: just because a voter is registered with one party doesnt mean he or she always votes for its candidates.
Analysis: Exodus Of Republican Voters Tired Of Trump Could Push Party Further Right
6 Min Read
WASHINGTON – A surge of Republicans quitting the party to renounce Donald Trump after the deadly Capitol riot could hurt moderates in next years primaries, adding a capstone to Trumps legacy as president: A potentially lasting rightward push on the party.
More than 68,000 Republicans have left the party in recent weeks in Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, crucial states for Democrats hopes of keeping control of Congress in the mid-term elections in 2022, state voter data shows.
Thats about three times the roughly 23,000 Democrats who left their party in the same states over the same time period.
Compared to the Republicans who stayed put, those who fled were more concentrated in the left-leaning counties around big cities, which political analysts said suggested moderate Republicans could be leading the defections.
If the exodus is sustained, it will be to the advantage of candidates in the Republican Partys nomination contests who espouse views that play well with its Trump-supporting base but not with a broader electorate.
That could make it harder for Republican candidates to beat Democrats in November, said Morris Fiorina, a political scientist at Stanford University.
If these voters are leaving the party permanently, its really bad news for Republicans, Fiorina said.
U.S. elections are administered by state governments rather than by Washington.
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The Three Types Of Republicans Donald Trump Created
Never Trumpers, the unlikeliest group of RINOs and Trump loyalists are fighting for the future of the party.
Donald J. Trump departed the White House on Wednesday and left a Republican Party turned upside down.
Many Republicans tried not to let Mr. Trump change things, vowing never to vote for him or work in his administration and to publicly shame those who did. Others bit their tongues and looked past his erratic behavior and racial grievances, justifying their indifference by pointing to the conservative policies he championed.
And there were others comprising the most vocal segment of elected Republicans and a considerable portion of the voters who helped Mr. Trump win 10 million more votes than he did in 2016 who are still with him, defying every last-straw prediction about the end of the iron grip Trump has on the G.O.P.
Here is a taxonomy of the types of Republicans Mr. Trump leaves in his wake.
Insurrection As A Turning Point
Roughly 4,000 of those who left the Republican Party did so after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington An additional 69 Republicans left the party briefly, only to return during the same time period; they are not counted among the 6,670.
Since then, Republican leaders at the national level have chosen not to rebuke U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has suggested that the shootings at Sandy Hook and Parkland, Florida, were staged. Last month, only 10 out of 211 House Republicans voted to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection.
Wharton, a former New Haven GOP chairman, said we probably wont know how many Connecticut Republicans make a permanent jump until things play out on the national level over the next few months.
We need to see national party first in terms of whos going to be taking charge and leading the effort to either a rebuild the party or continue with the message of the former president, he said. Im certain theres been multiple people in the U.S. Senate who will take note of this, and a couple of people in the U.S. House are developing a plan and an idea about rebuilding the Party.
The current numbers represent a quantum leap in terms of voters fleeing the GOP compared to the same period of time after the 2016 election, when Trump beat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
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Polling Data Shows Republican Party Affiliation Is Down As Independents Leaning Toward The Democratic Party Surge
Democrats have a nine-percentage-point affiliation advantage over Republicans at the moment.
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The GOP is losing its grip, according to the latest Gallup poll.;
The number of Americans identifying as Republicans or as independents who lean toward the GOP dropped to 40% in the first quarter of 2021, compared with the number of Democrats or independents leaning toward the Democratic party hitting 49%. And that nine-percentage-point lead is the greatest Democratic advantage that Gallup has measured since the fourth quarter of 2012, when former President Barack Obama was re-elected.;
Gallup routinely measures U.S. adults party identification and the political leanings of independents. The latest poll surveyed a random sample of 3,960 U.S. adults by phone between January and March of 2021. And while Democratic Party affiliation actually dropped by one point from the fourth quarter of 2020, to 30% where it has hovered for most of the past eight years the number of Americans identifying as independent rose to 44% from 38% last quarter. And this growing number of independents came at the expense of the Republican party, as 19% of independents said they lean Democrat, compared with 15% leaning Republican. Most of the remaining 11% of independents didnt swing either way.;
And several events have happened during those three months that could position the Democratic Party more favorably in voters eyes, the Gallup report noted.;
The Message Hyperpolarization Doesn’t Work
Theres a message in the voter numbers. Republicans still lead the state, with nearly 35% of the vote. But independents aren’t far behind with more than 32% … and growing.
What it shows is the hyperpolarization seen in politics between the two major parties has been pushing folks to the independent column, pollster Mike Noble, of OH Predictive Insights, told me.;The only issue is, more are leaving the Republican Party than the Democratic Party and thats because they have a brand issue.
Noble chalks the declining Republican ranks up to their Looney Tunes audit.
We know a majority of independent or moderate voters dont believe the election was stolen, he said. Yet there is this audit going on that is not very transparent or professionally run.;The GOP as a brand, I believe it is impacting them and the registration numbers reflect that.
I hear from those voters all the time, principled Republicans who wonder when the party of conservative values became the cult of Trump.
Count Gary, of Scottsdale, among the 23,559 Republicans who have fled the party during the first three months of the;year. He’s been a Republican since 1972.;In February, he re-registered as an independent. He emailed me in a few weeks ago, right after Fann hired a member of the Stop the Steal movement;to conduct her independent audit of Maricopa Countys election.
Reach Roberts at . Follow her on Twitter at .
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Republican To Other Party
- 1891 James Weaver, Republican turned Greenbacker, later was a founder of the Populist Party and ran for president on that party’s ticket in 1892.
- 1893 William M. Stewart, U.S. Senator from Nevada switched to the Silver Party
- 1895 John P. Jones, U.S. Senator from Nevada switched to Silver Party
- 1896 Wharton Barker switched to the Populist Party.
- 1934 Robert M. La Follette Jr., U.S. Senator from Wisconsin switched to the Progressive Party.
- 1937 Vito Marcantonio, U.S. Representative from New York switched to the Labor Party
- 2017 Brandon Phinney, New Hampshire State Representative switched to the Libertarian Party
- 2018 Sam McCann, Illinois State Senator switched to the Conservative Party.
- 2019-20 Justin Amash, US Congressman from Michigan, became Independent in July 2019, then affiliated with the Libertarian Party in April 2020
What Is Happening To The Republicans
In becoming the party of Trump, the G.O.P. confronts the kind of existential crisis that has destroyed American parties in;the past.
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But, for all the anxiety among Republican leaders, Goldwater prevailed, securing the nomination at the Partys convention, in San Francisco. In his speech to the delegates, he made no pretense of his ideological intent. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, he said. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Goldwaters crusade failed in November of 1964, when the incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, who had become President a year earlier, after Kennedys assassination, won in a landslide: four hundred and eighty-six to fifty-two votes in the Electoral College. Nevertheless, Goldwaters ascent was a harbinger of the future shape of the Republican Party. He represented an emerging nexus between white conservatives in the West and in the South, where five states voted for him over Johnson.
agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.
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Here Are 4 Prominent Right
Nicolle Wallace, former White House communications director under President George W. Bush and now one of the right-wing voices at the Democratic-leaning MSNBC, has not only been vehemently critical of President Donald Trumpshe has also voiced her displeasure with the Republican Party establishment for obediently rallying around the president, including House Speaker Paul Ryan . And there are other right-wingers as well who have been consistently critical of Trump, from journalist SE Cupp to GOP strategist Rick Wilson to Weekly Standard Publisher Bill Kristol. Although Cupp, Wilson and Kristol have all made it clear how much they dislike Trumps presidency, none of them have defected to the Libertarian Party or the Constitution Partyseemingly, they would rather fight to save the GOP from Trumpism than abandon it. But other long-time conservatives have expressed their disdain for Trump by leaving the Republican Party.;
Here are four prominent right-wing voices who have officially left the GOP in response to Trumps toxic effect on it.
1. George F. Will;
2. Max Boot;
3. Steve Schmidt
4. Joe Scarborough
