State Sen. David Johnson, one of the senior members of the Iowa Senate after serving 18 years in the Iowa Legislature, changed his voter registration on Tuesday from Republican to “no party.”Johnson hasn’t yet decided yet whether he will quit the Republican Caucus in the Iowa Senate. Why did Johnson “suspend” his Republican Party membership? To protest Donald Trump’s “racist remarks and Republican Party”:
“I will not stand silent if the party of Lincoln and the end of slavery buckles under the racial bias of a bigot,” Johnson said, referring to Trump. His criticism was prompted by Trump’s comments that federal Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel, who is presiding over a lawsuit involving the now-closed Trump University, was biased because of his Mexican heritage. The judge was born in the United States.
“Mark me down as Never Trump,” Johnson said. But Johnson also said he will never support Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic Party nominee for president.
According to the Des Moines Register, Johnson will review his no-party status after the Republican National Convention plays out:
“If Mr. Trump is the nominee, he becomes the standard bearer for a party that’s on the verge of breaking apart. He simply cannot unify the GOP. If there is a profound split, I’ll gladly re-join Republicans who are dedicated to equality and justice for all, and let Mr. Trump lead his supporters over the cliff,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s Dumping Trump’s GOP doesn’t change control of the Iowa state Senate. Democrats already have a narrow majority in the chamber.
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