Senator Todd Young (R-IN) announced on Tuesday that he will not support his own party’s presidential nominee in the upcoming election.
The decision by the establishment politician not to vote for Donald Trump comes just days after the former president secured the party’s nomination. While Young had previously hinted that he wouldn’t endorse Trump, Tuesday marks the first time he publicly acknowledged that he won’t even cast his vote for his party’s nominee.
“At some point, principled conservatives need to incentivize our party, the Republican Party, to nominate somebody that principled conservatives can actually believe in,” Young told a local Indiana outlet. “Stated differently, I’m tired of having my vote taken for granted.”
Young, a proponent of continued American taxpayer funding for Ukraine’s conflict against Russia, has pointed to Trump’s refusal to label Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal as a key factor in his decision not to back Trump.
Young stands out as an exception among Republicans who were previously hesitant to fully support Trump. Other holdouts began rallying behind Trump once it became evident that his nomination was inevitable. The tide shifted notably on March 6, following Trump’s dominant performance on Super Tuesday, when Nikki Haley, the last remaining opponent holding out against Trump, finally withdrew from the race.
Notably, on the day Haley halted her campaign, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) threw his support behind the former president. McConnell enjoyed a productive but uncomfortable working relationship with President Trump but had not spoken with him since January 2020 and rarely mentioned his name publicly.
“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said at the time, praising Trump’s record in office. “It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support.”
“I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people,” he added.
Other top members of Senate GOP leadership have endorsed Trump. Both announced candidates to replace McConnell next Congress as Leader, Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and John Cornyn (R-TX), have endorsed Trump as well, despite each having public disagreements with Trump in the past.
Share your thoughts by scrolling down to leave a comment.
