Republican Elector from Texas Refuses to Cast Vote for Donald Trump

A Republican presidential elector from Texas said Tuesday that he will not cast his Electoral College vote for Donald Trump, describing him as “someone who shows daily he is not qualified for the office.”

“Mr. Trump lacks the foreign policy experience and demeanor needed to be commander in chief,” Christopher Suprun wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Tuesday, naming Trump’s financial conflicts of interests and controversial cabinet appointments as evidence. “The election of the next president is not yet a done deal,” he added.

Suprun, a paramedic, said his decision stems partially from his experience as a firefighter during the response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

“George W. Bush is an imperfect man, but he led us through the tragic days following the attacks,” he wrote. “His leadership showed that America was a great nation. That was also the last time I remember the nation united. I watch Mr. Trump fail to unite America and drive a wedge between us.”

Suprun said he intends to vote for a different Republican on Dec. 19, when the electors meet.

“Electors of conscience can still do the right thing for the good of the country. Presidential electors have the legal right and a constitutional duty to vote their conscience,” Suprun said. “I believe electors should unify behind a Republican alternative, an honorable and qualified man or woman such as Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. I pray my fellow electors will do their job and join with me in discovering who that person should be.”

But in a statement Tuesday afternoon, Kasich asked electors not to vote for him.

“I am not a candidate for president and ask that electors not vote for me when they gather later this month,” Kasich said. “Our country had an election and Donald Trump won. The country is divided and there are certainly raw emotions on both sides stemming from the election. But this approach, as well meaning as it is, will only serve to further divide our nation, when unity is what we need.”