GOP endorsement watch

[Lognog]

Phil Scott has endorsed Weld:

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/483240-gop-governor-endorses-weld-in-vermont-primary

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) has endorsed GOP presidential candidate William Weld ahead of the state's GOP primary next month, a move intended as a rebuke of President Trump.

“I’ve met with him before. I think a lot of him and his platform, so I would be supporting him,” Scott said of Weld, a long-shot Republican presidential candidate, at a press conference Saturday.

very smart move from a great politician. Did he endorse Johnson in 2016?

[Roll Roons]

I suspect Baker and Scott will both vote for Biden, but they'll say that they blanked their ballots or wrote someone in. Same with Hogan, Romney, W, Jeb!, Kasich and Schwarzenegger (though the last two might go public).

Bonus: I suspect McCain would have secretly voted for Biden, and HW would have publicly endorsed him.

[Bidenworth2020]

Yeah, I wouldn't be totally shocked if Hogan came out and endorsed Biden. My kind of Republican!

[Doomer]

I bet Schwarzenegger will publicly endorse Biden.

Hogan too.

I suspect W. and Laura will vote for Biden but not talk about.

Kasich probably the same.

[Sir Mohamed]

I bet Schwarzenegger will publicly endorse Biden.

Hogan too.

I suspect W. and Laura will vote for Biden but not talk about.

Kasich probably the same.

Schwarzenegger and Kasich will vote for Biden, but I doubt they make an official endorsement. But Arnold would be huge.

[Canis]

Who do you think Bill Weld will endorse im suprised he hasn't endorsed Biden but I could potentially see him endorsing Justin Amash if he runs

[Roll Roons]

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/495014-former-sen-jeff-flake-says-he-will-not-vote-for-donald-trump

Jeff Flake all but confirms that he’ll vote for Biden.

[Mr. Morden]

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/495014-former-sen-jeff-flake-says-he-will-not-vote-for-donald-trump

Jeff Flake all but confirms that he’ll vote for Biden.

He may or may not vote for Biden, but in the linked article he does say that he will *not* vote Trump.  (Thus making him #NeverTrump again, as in 2016.) I assume that, as in 2016, we'll see quite a few other Republicans who no longer hold office make similar #NeverTrump statements.  So far, though, we're not seeing that among Republicans who *currently* hold office.  Those who are not endorsing Trump, like Collins, Romney, Baker, etc., are just offering a no comment on who they'll vote for in November, rather than explicitly saying that it won't be Trump.  We'll see if that holds up, or if we'll again get some #NeverTrump Republican politicians who *currently* hold major office.

[Mr. Morden]

Flake will of course not be alone among Republican *former* members of Congress who will rule out a vote for Trump in 2020.  E.g., former Sen. Slade Gorton of Washington and former Gov. and Sen. Dan Evans (also of Washington).  Here's what they said last year:

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Republican-Gorton-Evans-Washington-vote-Trump-2020-13857616.php

"I did not vote for him in 2016 and I will not vote for him in 2020," former three-term U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton told a Mainstream Republicans of Washington dinner on Saturday night.

Former Gov. and Sen. Dan Evans, also on hand, said after the dinner: "I cannot imagine circumstances under which I would vote for him."

[Roll Roons]

https://time.com/5829777/governors-reopening-coronavirus/

Just as I thought, Larry Hogan hasn't ruled out voting for Biden.

Hogan’s father died in 2017. The governor hasn’t decided whom to vote for this November. He doesn’t rule out voting Democratic. As for Trump, Hogan says, “he hasn’t done anything to make me change my mind.”

[Mr. Morden]

Some kind of “Republicans for Biden” group may be in the offing:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-campaign-is-secretly-building-a-republican-group

Appearing in an Instagram live chat with soccer star Megan Rapinoe on April 30, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden made a spontaneous, vague statement about how he’s been “speaking to a lot of Republicans,” including “former colleagues, who are calling and saying Joe, if you win, we’re gonna help.”

Then he showed his hand: “Matter of fact, there’s some major Republicans who are already forming ‘Republicans for Biden,’” the former vice president said. “Major officeholders.”
.
.
.
Among the GOP’s more ardent anti-Trump faction, several names came up in conversation when asked who could theoretically have a role in an outside political entity, which would not be allowed under campaign finance laws to coordinate with the campaign directly. Those names include former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Wisconsin-based political analyst Charlie Sykes, conservative media giant Bill Kristol, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, longtime campaign operative Steve Schmidt, former Rep. David Jolly (R-FL), and columnist Mona Charen, among others.

Meanwhile, one name in particular has been floated as a choice to help give legs to such an effort from the inside: former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich. The source who has spoken to top Biden allies about a number of topics said there has been discussion in Bidenworld about Kasich, a leading NeverTrump voice, who joined as a CNN analyst after leaving office in January 2019. 

[Adam Griffin]

Looking forward to "Republicans for Biden" consisting of a couple of inconsequential blue state Governors, Bill Kristol, David Frum, and a few no-name political columnists!

[Bidenworth2020]

Looking forward to "Republicans for Biden" consisting of a couple of inconsequential blue state Governors, Bill Kristol, David Frum, and a few no-name political columnists!

Kasich isn't a no-name, lol.

[Gracile]

Looking forward to "Republicans for Biden" consisting of a couple of inconsequential blue state Governors, Bill Kristol, David Frum, and a few no-name political columnists!

Kasich isn't a no-name, lol.

Eh, he's definitely lost a lot of his reputability in Republican circles since becoming a NeverTrumper - part of the reason that the supposedly hyped-up Trump primary challenge never came to fruition.

[Adam Griffin]

Looking forward to "Republicans for Biden" consisting of a couple of inconsequential blue state Governors, Bill Kristol, David Frum, and a few no-name political columnists!

Kasich isn't a no-name, lol.

no-name political columnist[/pundit]

Who's next? Lincoln Chafee?

[Landslide Lyndon]

Eh, he's definitely lost a lot of his reputability in Republican circles since becoming a NeverTrumper

I'm no fan of Kasich and his faux moderate shtick, but this is a badge of honor.

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

https://time.com/5829777/governors-reopening-coronavirus/

Just as I thought, Larry Hogan hasn't ruled out voting for Biden.

Hogan’s father died in 2017. The governor hasn’t decided whom to vote for this November. He doesn’t rule out voting Democratic. As for Trump, Hogan says, “he hasn’t done anything to make me change my mind.”

I can’t imagine him actually publicly admitting he votes for Biden if he wants a future in GOP politics, like a 2022 Senate run. He would lose a primary on that alone.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Former Senator David Durenburger (R-MN), along with former Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner, endorsed Biden in a Minneapolis Star-Tribune op-ed:

Those values have given way to blind allegiance to a president who has abandoned nearly every core principle that once defined the GOP. We believe that the re-election of Donald Trump would be disastrous for the country and ruinous for the Republican Party. For us, there is a positive alternative in Joe Biden and a vehicle for our support, the Lincoln Project (lincolnproject.us).

Biden isn’t an “anyone-but-Trump” alternative. He is a positive choice to restore integrity and decency to the White House. Certainly, there are policy areas where we part ways with Biden and, like all of us, Biden has his personal flaws. But more than anything else, we believe he has the ability and commitment to rebuild trust between government and the people it serves. And nothing is more important to good government than the confidence of the governed.

[Bidenworth2020]

https://twitter.com/EvanMcMullin/status/1262851802602430464

Don't know if McMullin is still GOP, but this sure makes it seem like an endorsement is coming.

[Mr. Morden]

I'd say this only barely counts since he most recently served in a Democratic administration, but Wikipedia says he's still a Republican, so:

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/former-gop-senator-and-secretary-defense-says-hes-backing-biden-november

Chuck Hagel, a former GOP senator and Obama administration Defense secretary, says he's voting for Democrat Joe Biden over Republican Donald Trump in November.

Hagel said during an interview with AL-Monitor's On the Middle East podcast that his choice is based on the belief that America continues to lose sight of its mission in Iraq and perhaps the entire Middle East.

"We can't afford to just abandon Iraq," Hagel told show host Andrew Parasiliti. "I don't think our continued role should be to fight ISIS," on an indefinite basis. "If Iraq is a sovereign nation and wants to continue to exist, they’re the ones who are going to have to step up."

[Mr. Morden]

Murkowski giving a "no comment" on who she plans to vote for in November:

https://twitter.com/LACaldwellDC/status/1267892228007043076

[Mr. Morden]

Murkowski "struggling" over whether to support Trump:

https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1268574486435180545

[For Raza livin in La La/Like Gaza onto the dawn of Intifada]

#veryconcerned

[Mr. Morden]

Trump retaliates against Murkowski, saying that he'll campaign against her reelection:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1268688013791506450

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Trump retaliates against Murkowski, saying that he'll campaign against her reelection:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1268688013791506450

Moronic move this early and one that puts Dan Sullivan in a tricky spot.

Is there a serious risk of her becoming an independent?