CHICAGO – Illinois' U.S. Senator Mark Kirk said Tuesday that he has changed his mind, and that he will not vote for Donald Trump for president, although both names will appear together as Republican candidates on the November General Election ballot.
"As the presidential campaign progressed, I was hoping the rhetoric would tone down and reflect a campaign that was inclusive, thoughtful and principled," Kirk, the #1 most vulnerable Republican in the Senate, said in a statement.
"While I oppose the Democratic nominee, Donald Trump's latest statements, in context with past attacks on Hispanics, women and the disabled like me, make it certain that I cannot and will not support my party's nominee for President regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party," he said.
"It is absolutely essential that we are guided by a commander-in-chief with a responsible and proper temperament, discretion and judgment," Kirk continued. "Our president must be fit to command the most powerful military the world has ever seen, including an arsenal of thousands of nuclear weapons. After much consideration, I have concluded that Donald Trump has not demonstrated the temperament necessary to assume the greatest office in the world.”
From The Hill
