Donald Trump may be the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for the 2016 election, but that doesn’t mean everyone -- especially Floridians -- are going to support him at the polls this fall.
In recent weeks, the hashtag #NeverTrump has gained steam. But the #NeverTrump movement is more than just a hashtag tweeted out to convey distaste for the billionaire businessman turned presidential hopeful -- it’s the Republican Party’s last stand against Trump.
Many big names in the Republican Party have already joined in on the #NeverTrump movement -- former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham are just two Republicans who have said they won’t support Trump at the polls.
But some Florida Republicans have come out against Trump, which could signal serious trouble for Trump since Florida is typically a key “must-win” state to secure the presidency.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who dropped out of the presidential race earlier this year, is one of the state’s biggest former officials to denounce Trump as the GOP candidate.
In a post on his Facebook page, Bush congratulated Trump on being the party’s nominee, but that’s where the congratulations ended as Bush swiftly segued into professing his allegiance to the #NeverTrump movement.
“Donald Trump has not demonstrated that temperament or strength of character,” Bush wrote. “He has not displayed a respect for the Constitution. And, he is not a consistent conservative. These are all reasons why I cannot support his candidacy.
In November, I will not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, but I will support principled conservatives at the state and federal levels, just as I have done my entire life. For Republicans, there is no greater priority than ensuring we keep control of both chambers of Congress. I look forward to working hard for great conservatives in the Senate and House in the coming months.”
U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., has also said he can’t support Trump come November.
Beyond Republican politicians, some of the most influential people in the Florida Republican scene have also said they don’t support Trump’s candidacy either. Many of them were strictly Team Rubio when the Florida senator was in the race, but once he abandoned ship and suspended his campaign, some Florida Republicans felt there was no other viable candidate in the race -- especially not Trump.
When Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- the two lone rangers aside from Trump -- pulled the plugs on their campaigns, it seemed like Florida Republicans had no options left.
Rather than support Trump because he’s the only Republican candidate left in the race, GOP supporters have decided they just won’t vote for anyone in the presidential race.
Republican consultant Rick Wilson is one of the people who firmly stands against Trump and his policies.
Wilson didn’t just join the #NeverTrump movement, either. Since the beginning of Trump’s candidacy, Wilson has been one of the fiercest critics of Trump and his policies, often at the receiving end of Trump’s backlash himself.
“This is the moment for a risky, improbable set of Hail Mary passes to save the conservative movement and the Republican Party from the invasion of Trumpism,” wrote Wilson in a New York Daily News op-ed. “We won't give up. We can't give up.”
The #NeverTrump movement, Wilson says, isn’t just about Donald Trump himself, but about the values Trump has spearheaded throughout the campaign. His words, his actions, they say, have snowballed into an avalanche that could quickly ruin the core of American principles.
“We're not doing this just out of stubbornness,” Wilson said. “It would be easy to say conservatism will survive under the electoral and political disaster that is Donald Trump, but it wouldn't be honest to do so. The Never Trump movement isn't just concerned about this election; we've committed to conservative, constitutional leadership for the future.
Mac Stipanovich, another Florida GOP consultant, called Trump a “boor, a bully, a carnival barker, an embarrassment,” writing for FloridaPolitics that Trump is a neo-fascist, racist, and an authoritarian “who clings to the odor of the political violence he encourages.”
Some Florida Republicans like Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi have already endorsed Trump this year. Trump carried Florida significantly at the primary polls, taking 66 of the 67 counties in the primary.
But on top of the #NeverTrump movement, Trump is already polling poorly nationally, with many polls finding his favorability and likability fairly low.
Trump has had a relatively easy time sweeping many states in the primaries, including Florida, but with the amount of Florida backlash already ramping up (it’s only May), it already seems like an uphill battle for Trump to win the state which he so desperately needs to clinch a seat in the Oval Office.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
