Republican state legislator responses to Donald Trump, 2016
In June 2016, two GOP lawmakers—one in the Iowa State Senate and the other in the Nebraska State Senate—announced their departure from the Republican Party. Both senators identified the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as at least a factor in their decisions. These party switches garnered significant media attention and were part of a larger pattern of division within the Republican Party.
Additionally, another Republican legislator, Shannon Jones of the Ohio State Senate, resigned from her position as a delegate to the Republican National Convention instead of supporting Trump as a candidate.
List of switched legislators
The following is a list of candidates in 2016 who changed political parties and cited Donald Trump's presidential campaign as a factor in that decision. See the sections below the list for more details.
| GOP legislators who have changed party | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chamber | Name | New party |
| Iowa State Senate | David Johnson |  Independent
|
| Nebraska State Senate | Laura Ebke |  Libertarian
|
Detailed information
- David Johnson, Iowa State Senate - now "no party affiliation" or independent
- On June 7, 2016, Johnson became the first serving legislator to change his party affiliation specifically because of Donald Trump's campaign and rhetoric—as well as what he has perceived as the effects of those things on the Republican Party. Johnson's switch came shortly after Trump's statement about federal judge Gonzalo Curiel. In this statement, Trump claimed that Curiel could not fairly preside over the case against Trump's "Trump University" program because of the judge's Mexican heritage. Although Johnson's decision to change to "No party affiliation" came after this statement, Johnson has referred to other statements made by Trump as racist, biased, or bigoted. Johnson stated he could no longer consider himself a member of a party that publicly supported Donald Trump as its presidential candidate.[1]
- Laura Ebke, Nebraska State Senate - now Libertarian
- In May 2016, Ebke switched her party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian. She changed her party affiliation because she was disheartened by pressures to consistently vote with the Republican Party in the chamber, even if her views did not agree with that particular issue. Ebke did identify Trump as a factor in her decision to leave the party, but it was not a primary reason. Instead, she stated that "it’s less about Trump per se than what [his probable nomination] reflects about the Republican Party." The Nebraska Unicameral is officially nonpartisan.[2]
Other objections
| 2016 State Legislative Elections |
|---|
| Part 1: Overview |
| Part 2: Battlegrounds |
| Part 3: Competitiveness |
| Impact of term limits |
| Part 4: Elections by state |
| Election dates |
In addition to lawmakers who changed their party affiliation, one resigned as a delegate to the national convention:
- Jones identified Trump as the primary reason behind her decision to resign from her position as convention delegate. She elaborated, stating that Trump does not represent values she finds important. These values included "respecting women" and "valuing diversity."[3]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Des Moine Register, "Iowa GOP lawmaker dumps party to protest Trump," accessed June 9, 2016
- ↑ Omaha.com, " 'Frustrated' State Sen. Laura Ebke switches from Republican to Libertarian," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "With Trump as presumptive nominee, state senator resigns as GOP delegate," accessed June 13, 2016
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
