Republican former Michigan governor says he’s voting for Biden

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) on Thursday endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, becoming the latest high-profile Republican to back President Trump’s removal from the White House. 

“I will continue to support and stand up for Republican policies and values, and support Republican candidates, but I will not support Donald Trump for reelection,” Synder said in USA Today op-ed. 

Synder, who served as Michigan governor between 2011 and 2018, declined to publicly endorse Trump during the 2016 campaign. He said that he hoped the president would find a way to govern in a way that unified the nation. Instead, the president has directed all of his attention to his supporters, Synder said. 

The former governor described the president as a “bully” who is “verbally abusive” toward those who disagree with him. He also claimed Trump “ignores the truth” while also demonstrating a lack of knowledge about policy matters including public health, the economy and foreign relations. 

“Some regulatory reforms have been helpful. But his tax reform was a failure,” Synder said. “It didn’t have real long-term value, enriched large corporations and violated the basic principles of good tax reform to be simple, fair, and efficient.”

Synder concluded the op-ed by pushing for a return to civility, arguing that Biden is best suited for that job. 

“I hope you will join me and help others by using Relentless Positive Action to elect Joe Biden as America’s next president,” Synder said. 

The endorsement from Synder comes as the 2020 campaign enters its final stretch. He joined nearly 100 Republicans who on Thursday endorsed Biden.

Dozens of other Republicans, including former Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and John Warner (Va.) and former Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.), have come out in support of the former vice president. 

More than 70 former national security officials who served under Republican administrations also endorsed Biden last month, saying in a joint statement that Trump has “disappointed millions of voters who put their faith in him and has demonstrated that he is dangerously unfit to serve another term.” 

National and state polls show Biden with a lead over Trump in his bid for the presidency. A RealClearPolitics average of polling shows Biden with a 7.2-point advantage over the president nationally. He also leads by about 2 points in Michigan, a key battleground state that Trump carried in 2016, according to RCP averages.