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Graham, Bush Refuse to Vote for Trump or Clinton

Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham / AP
May 6, 2016

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R, S.C.) said Friday that he would not vote Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton for president in the November election.

Graham took to twitter to make the announcement, writing in a series of nine tweets that he could not "in good conscience" back Trump and would be skipping the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer.

"It’s hard to believe that in a nation of more than 300 million Americans Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be our choices for President," he wrote. "I do not believe [Trump] is a reliable GOP conservative nor has he displayed the judgment and temperament to serve as Commander in Chief."

Clinton meanwhile "represents the third term of Barack Obama & our nation cannot afford to continue those failed policies at home or abroad," he wrote, vowing that he "absolutely" would not support the former secretary of state.

Graham, who ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign before dropping out last year, has been outspoken in his disdain for the two frontrunners. Just three weeks before he announced he was pulling out of the race, Graham called Trump a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" who should "go to hell."

The senior senator has ripped into the Republican party throughout the primary elections, claiming that his party has gone "batshit." He joked too that someone could get away with killing Ted Cruz on the Senate floor.

While he will not be voting for Trump or Clinton, Graham said he would "enthusiastically support" Republicans in congressional races.

Former governor of Florida Jeb Bush added his name to the laundry list of Republicans who have publicly stated they would not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the general election this fall.
In a Facebook post published Friday, Bush said that neither leading candidate would steer the U.S. onto a better course.
"Donald Trump has not demonstrated that temperament or strength of character. He has not displayed a respect for the Constitution. And, he is not a consistent conservative," he wrote, calling Clinton "untrustworthy."
Former vice president Dick Cheney, who served alongside George W. Bush during his presidency, announced Friday that he would back Trump's candidacy.