Why The Republican Party Has Lost My Vote Forever

Here are the reasons why the Republican Party has lost not only my vote, but also my respect. They might have lost my vote forever.

I’m a female Hispanic-American veteran who has been a card-carrying Republican for almost 15 years. I haven’t always voted Republican, except for the Presidential races. I’m more left to center on social issues but fiscally conservative.

I became a Republican for many different reasons. I was in the military for many years, and felt I would be voting against my interests if I became a Democrat. My resolve was strengthened when the military saw a rapid decline in funding, manning and base closures under President Bill Clinton. My home state of Louisiana has closed elections, which mean you can only vote in the primaries for the party you are affiliated. In this day in age, I think that’s crap, but I also believe states who don’t allow early voting or in-person absentee voting are ridiculous. (I also grew up in Puerto Rico where the three party system is alive and well. Our family grew up as Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) or the Republican party equivalent.)

The reasons why I left the Republican party in 2016 are simple. I refuse to cast my vote for someone who is completely unqualified and unhinged as Donald Trump. When the primaries began, I never thought Donald Trump had a shot. I felt like if the other candidates just ignored him, he would ultimately go away.

I have never been more wrong in my life. He was able to grab ahold of the “disenfranchised white middle-class voters” and make them his political base. It’s a cult-like following that Scientology leader David Miscavige would kill for. I wasn’t the only one who miscalculated Trump and his popularity.

Soon the Trump movement started gaining momentum, but I still didn’t believe he was capable of winning the party’s nomination. He has no real political background other that being a businessman. Trump likes to point out this makes him an “outsider,” but that just means unqualified. I would also like to note his failed ventures like Trump University, Hotels, and Airlines don’t exactly scream successful businessman. During all the debates he never actually talked about what he was going to do for the country. He speaks in broad generalities like “We are going to make America great again, It’s going to be great, and I will defeat ISIS.” They’re easy words to say but have no real substance.

The next line Trump crossed for me was on immigration and Muslims. How a candidate for any major political party could say such blatantly racist things about Mexican and Muslim is appalling. The issue that solidified my decision to leave the Republican party is the infamous video Donald Trump admitting to sexually assaulting women and getting away with it. I could no longer support the Republican Party if they endorse Donald Trump.

The Trump cult came out in full force to defend him even after victims came out and corroborated the story. The Trump cult believes anything and everything he says, and I just couldn’t be part of it. It became very clear to me the only interests Donald Trump wants to serve are his own and those of racist, misogynist middle-class white men.

My adopted state of Louisiana has early voting. After months of thinking about this election, I could not wait to cast my vote. I felt almost giddy walking up to the ballot machine. As soon as a completed my voting a feeling of relief came over me. I knew I did the right thing for myself, family and the country.

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So on the last day of the election if you are a Republican, who is still struggling with voting for Hillary Clinton, just remember the party walked away from us when Donald Trump became the nominee. No one shouldn’t be bound to any political party if they don’t represent you anymore.