'You lose me at that point': Ex-swing state GOP senator explains why he won’t vote for Trump
During Donald Trump's presidency, conservative then-Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania) wasn't known for being a Never Trumper. In fact, he voted for him in 2016.
But when Trump tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, Toomey refused to go along with him. And he didn't seek reelection in 2022, which found a Democrat, John Fetterman, taking over a U.S. Senate seat that had been mostly in GOP hands for decades — first under the late Sen. Arlen Specter, then under Toomey.
Many Republicans who have been critical of Trump at times have fallen in line and are supporting him in the 2024 election. But during a Tuesday, September 3 appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Toomey made it clear that he won't be voting for Trump in November — although he isn't voting for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris either.
READ MORE: 'We will lose winnable seats': GOP panicking over 'massive financial disparity' with Dems
"When you lose an election and you try to overturn the results so you can stay in power," Toomey stressed, "you lose me. You lose me at that point…. I acknowledge that the outcome is a binary situation, but my choice is not….. It is an acceptable position for me to say that neither of these candidates can be my choice for president."
Toomey predicted that Democrats will lose their Senate majority.
"The good news is: I think Republicans are going to take the Senate," Toomey said.
The former senator added that if Harris defeats Trump in November but Republicans flip the Senate, they should "hang tough" when it comes to Harris' nominees.
READ MORE: How the 'antiquated' Electoral College can be reformed to root out 'intrigue and corruption'
Watch the full CNBC video below or at this link.
