Republican former Michigan governor endorses Clinton

by Rebecca Savransky - 08/08/16 7:54 AM ET

Former Michigan Gov. William Milliken (R) is endorsing Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

{mosads}“This nation has long prided itself on its abiding commitments to tolerance, civility and equality,” Milliken said in a statement, according to the Detroit Free Press.

“We face a critically important choice in this year’s presidential election that will define whether we maintain our commitment to those ideals or embark on a path that has doomed other governments and nations throughout history,” he continued.

“I am saddened and dismayed that the Republican Party this year has nominated a candidate who has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not embrace those ideals.”

Milliken said because he feels so “strongly” about the future of the country, he will be supporting the Democratic nominee over Donald Trump.

Milliken, who has endorsed Democrats in the past, joins a group of Republicans who have announced they don’t plan to support their party’s nominee.

Frank Lavin, who served as political director to former President Reagan, said Sunday he plans to vote for Clinton over Trump. In an op-ed published for CNN, Lavin called Trump an “emperor who wears no clothes.”

“It might not be entirely clear that Hillary Clinton deserves to win the presidency, but it is thunderingly clear that Donald Trump deserves to lose,” Lavin wrote.

Rep. Richard Hanna (N.Y.) became the first sitting GOP lawmaker to say he would vote for Clinton, and Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) has said he plans to support Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson over Trump.

Tags Donald Trump Gary Johnson Hillary Clinton Scott Rigell