NEW YORK: Rep. Richard Hanna Becomes First GOP Member Of US House To Switch To Supporting Hillary

Talking Points Memo reports:

Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) on Tuesday became the first Republican member of the House to openly say that he plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in November.

Hanna, who is not running for re-election this year, told Syracuse.com in an interview published Tuesday that Donald Trump is “unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country.”

“I think Trump is a national embarrassment. Is he really the guy you want to have the nuclear codes?” he asked.

The congressman said that he’s considered voting for Clinton for a few months, and that Trump’s attacks the parents of a deceased Muslim American soldier were the last straw.

“I saw that and felt incensed,” Hanna told Syracuse.com. “I was stunned by the callousness of his comments.”

Hanna’s announcement comes with an op-ed in his hometown newspaper. An excerpt:

Secretary Clinton has issues that depending on where one stands can be viewed as great or small. But she stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself for a lifetime. That matters. Mrs. Clinton has promoted many of the issues I have been committed to over the years including expanding education and supporting women’s health care.

While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs. Clinton. I will be hopeful and resolute in my belief that being a good American who loves his country is far more important than parties or winning and losing. I trust she can lead.

All Republicans may not like the direction, but they can live to win or lose another day with a real candidate. Our response to the public’s anger and the need to rebuild requires complex solutions, experience, knowledge and balance. Not bumper sticker slogans that pander to our disappointment, fear and hate.