First GOP House Member Says He'll Vote for Hillary Clinton, Not Donald Trump

Republican Representative Richard Hanna of New York says he will vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton — not Donald Trump — in November, making him the first GOP member of Congress to publicly declare he would vote against the party's nominee.

"For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country," Hanna wrote in an op-ed for Syracuse.com published Tuesday.

Hanna, a three-term lawmaker who serves an Upstate New York district that includes Utica, had previously said he could never back Trump. However, Hanna went one step further Tuesday, writing that although he has long-standing differences with Clinton, they agreed on core issues.

"Secretary Clinton has issues that depending on where one stands can be viewed as great or small. But she stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself for a lifetime," wrote Hanna. "That matters. Mrs. Clinton has promoted many of the issues I have been committed to over the years including expanding education and supporting women's health care."

Trump's repeated Islamophobic attacks on the parents of a fallen Muslim-American war hero who spoke at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia last week was the deciding factor for Hanna.

"In his latest foray of insults, Mr. Trump has attacked the parents of a slain U.S. soldier. Where do we draw the line?" asked Hanna.

While other candidates who are up for reelection may make a political calculation to avoid supporting Trump, Hanna, who is retiring at the end of this term, is not concerned with that, writing, "I will vote for Mrs. Clinton."

"I will be hopeful and resolute in my belief that being a good American who loves his country is far more important than parties or winning and losing. I trust she can lead," wrote Hanna. "All Republicans may not like the direction, but they can live to win or lose another day with a real candidate. Our response to the public's anger and the need to rebuild requires complex solutions, experience, knowledge and balance. Not bumper sticker slogans that pander to our disappointment, fear and hate."

Photo credit: U.S. House of Representatives