U.S. Representative Tom Petri (R-WI)
A former Wisconsin congressman among several retired Republican U.S. Representatives who say they will not support GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in November.
Republican Tom Petri is one of 30 former members of Congress from across the country who signed the statement, which argues the party’s presidential nominee is a man who makes a mockery of the principles and values of the GOP. “Given the enormous power of the office, every candidate for president must be judged rigorously in assessing whether he or she has the competence, intelligence, knowledge, understanding, empathy, judgment, and temperament necessary to keep America on a safe and steady course. Donald Trump fails on each of those measures, and he has proven himself manifestly unqualified to be president.”
The retired lawmakers say that, by nominating Trump, “the Republican Party has asked the people of the United States to entrust their future to a man who insults women, mocks the handicapped, urges that dissent be met with violence, seeks to impose religious tests for entry into the United States, and applies a de facto ethnicity test to judges. He offends our allies and praises dictators. His public statements are peppered with lies. He belittles our heroes and insults the parents of men who have died serving our country. Every day brings a fresh revelation that highlights the unacceptable danger in electing him to lead our nation.”
As a result, Petri and the others say they will not be voting for the Republican presidential nominee this fall. The statement does not indicate whether Petri will be voting for another candidate or not voting at all.