Why are some Republicans not supporting Trump in this election?

Just a few days left until Election Day with Donald Trump rising in some national pollsbut questions remain about why a number of key Republicans Don’t support the former president.

What the Republican Party under Trump represents is difficult to characterize, with more than 200 senior Republicans refusing to endorse the candidate. What’s more, the controversy has led to them endorsing his opponent Kamala Harris at campaign stops in swing states like Pennsylvania.

What this means for conservatives vying for the White House will be seen in the months after Election Day as the nation awaits what the new Republican Party will look like.

The Harris campaign wasted no time in highlighting former members of Trump’s cabinet from Trump’s first term in ads, with their recent interview clips claiming he is “dangerous” and “cannot be trusted with power.”

Even former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney and Trump’s own Vice President Mike Pence have said they will not support Trump in this election. Pence cited the violence directed at him during the Jan. 6 riots as prompting him to run against Trump in the primary.

Who doesn’t support Trump among Republicans?

In addition to the former vice presidents, John Bolton, US national security adviser from 2018-2019, joined Dan Coats, director of national intelligence from 2017-2019, in opposing Trump’s new presidency. Coates even endorsed Pence in his primary race.

Mark Esper, US Secretary of Defense 2019–2020; Jim Mattis, US Secretary of Defense 2017–2019 and retired four-star general; and John F. Kelly, White House chief of staff from 2017-2019, endorsed Trump.

Currently, only half of the former president’s cabinet from his first term supports his candidacy.

The Trump opposition group, which includes several former Cabinet members and other White House officials, has also expanded to include current senators and members of Congress.

U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah and Todd Young of Indiana have all endorsed other candidates in the Republican primary.

Also joining their opposition were U.S. Reps. Greg Pence of Indiana and David Valadao of California.

Texas Republicans who don’t support Trump

Current and former Republicans elected in Texas who have publicly denounced Trump include Tom DeLay, U.S. Representative for Texas-22 from 1985-2006; Will Hurd, US Representative for Texas-23 Congressional District 2015-2021; and Alan Steelman, former congressman from Congressional District TX-05 from 1973-1977.

Stillman later endorsed Harris in the 2024 presidential race.

Difference Between Moderate Republicans and MAGA Republicans

In the study conducted by 538/ABC NewsThe number of Republicans considered moderate fell sharply in the last iteration of the U.S. Congress and Senate from 2017–2020.

According to the data, during the period of time when Trump became the leader of the party, only 161 of the 293 elected Republicans remained in office. A total of 64 people retired, 11 announced their retirement, 22 resigned, 29 lost the general election, four lost the primary and two died.

Among the reasons cited in the study was growing polarization in the two major political parties, with new candidates holding significantly more conservative or liberal views. Although some of those who lost the general election were Democratic candidates, those who did not toe the more zealous party line enjoyed little support.

Hardline Republicans challenged and toppled their more mediocre counterparts, essentially changing the identity of the party itself. She now struggled with labels like “extremist” and “racist” in her rhetoric, while Democrats grappled with labels like “anti-family” and “dangerously liberal.”

Kamala Harris also had the growing challenge of maintaining traditionally democratic votes primarily among minorities. It’s still being viewed more favorable than President Biden, the key to the election appears to lie in the swing states.

Largely centrist Brookings Institutionin its study of the 2024 national elections, found that a growing number of races are turning out to include self-described “MAGA/Trump conservatives.”

In staunchly Republican states, they won primary elections more than 40% of the time over moderate incumbents.

Given the trends of this election cycle, political think tanks are characterizing the future of moderate Democrats and Republicans as murky at best. Election Day will tell whether these claims are true.