If Twitter is any indication, the Republican Party has been hemorrhaging support since 2016, and it’s only getting worse. In fact, many have logged onto Twitter to share the reasons why they’re quitting the GOP, to the point that the hashtag #ILefttheGOP started trending.
Polls suggest the Republican Party has been leaking support for some time.
As Newsweek reported, Republican support peaked in September 2004, when a Gallup poll showed 39% of Americans considered themselves Republicans. As of January 2020, that number is just 27%, down from 30% in November and 28% in December.
Some predicted Donald Trump would be a polarizing figure even within the Republican Party.
Senator Lindsay Graham, now one of the president’s most ardent supporters, once said that “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…..and we will deserve it.”
It seems that that prediction might just be coming true. On Twitter, columnist Cheri Jacobus got the ball rolling, encouraging her followers to not only use the hashtag but tag others who had left the party. As she stated, without elaborating further, for her it came down to the party’s nomination of Donald Trump in 2016.
As expected, many placed the blame for their leaving the Republican Party at the president’s feet.
It looks like 2016 was a turning point for many former Republicans, as right from the nomination they felt unable to support their party anymore.
“#ILeftTheGOP because of Trump….this isn’t the party I voted for anymore….idk if I will ever go back,” wrote one person.
“#ILeftTheGOP when Trump was nominated because he had already mocked the disabled reporter, disrespected McCain and no one in the GOP called it out,” wrote another. “The day he said “Russia if you’re listening” I knew it was a tell . Not voting GOP again! Country over Party.”
Others pointed to specific moments in Trump’s presidency that soured their opinion of him and the party.
For some, it was simply the matter of his inauguration, or his insistence that the crowd size was larger than it was.
Others lasted a bit longer, but many jumped ship after Charlottesville.
“#Ileftthegop right after the Charlottesville comments – that was enough – the “fine people” comment was the tipping point for me,” one person shared .
For many, it wasn’t just about Trump, however.
It was also about how the GOP reacted to and enabled him.
“#ILeftTheGOP over the response to Roy Moore,” one person wrote . “I hadn’t voted for Trump, but until that point, hoped those within the party would reign him in. It was obvious then that wouldn’t happen. And I refused to be a part of it. I grew up GOP, and had only ever voted GOP before that.”
Many also suggested that the party had distanced itself from its core values.
“#ILeftTheGOP because they consistently want to benefit the rich while leaving everyone else behind,” wrote one person. “They also sold out all of their morals to support an absolute monster as president.”
“Officially #IlefttheGOP in 2019. Admittedly haven’t voted Republican in a long, long time (12yrs),” wrote another. “I kept hoping they’d veer back to a center, instead of going completely off the rails. What happened to socially liberal fiscal conservatives?”
Indeed, some out there reported having voted for Republicans for decades only to find themselves unable to support the GOP any longer.
“Trump made my 83 yr old father, a lifetime Republican, a Democrat,” one person shared . “Even ‘W’ couldn’t do that and he hated ‘W.’ He considered him an aberration that wouldn’t be repeated. He’s disgusted by his party now.”
“#ILeftTheGOP November 2018 after registering Republican at 18 and voting as
@GOP for 47 years,” shared another. “Couldn’t fathom @GOP allegiance to Trump, the dumbest, most corrupt, most uncouth individual to hold the office in my 66 years.”
From the looks of it, few, if any, are looking back and regretting their decisions.
“After 35 years as a Republican, I changed parties in 2017,” one person shared . “Their repeated attempts to take healthcare from thousands and the tax scam appalled me and I had to #WalkAway. Their behavior for the past 3 years proved it was the right decision.”
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However, many also reported having left the GOP long before Trump came along.
The Iraq War in 2003 was a turning point for a lot of people. “#ILeftTheGOP in 2003 — when I was called unpatriotic simply because I didn’t want to go to war with Iraq,” one person wrote . “Apparently, not wanting more dead soldiers is a bad way of ‘supporting’ them.”
For its part, the Republican National Committee doesn’t see a problem.
RNC spokesperson Mandi Merritt told Newsweek that “President Trump continues to bring in new members to the Party of opportunity. Not to mention, impeachment continues to backfire on Democrats and fire up voters toward President Trump and the Republican movement.
“Since this sham began, we’ve seen over 600,000 new donors join our movement and over 100,000 new volunteers join our efforts to defeat Democrats up and down the ballot in November.”
h/t: Newsweek , Independent
