Special Poll
Former Senator Pat Toomey, who served Pennsylvania for 12 years in the Senate, has made it clear that he won’t be casting his vote for either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election. Despite having supported Trump in both 2016 and 2020, Toomey now finds himself unable to back him again, citing Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the last presidential election as the primary reason for his change of heart.
During an interview on CNBC, Toomey expressed his deep disappointment with Trump’s actions post-election. “When you lose an election and then try to overturn the results just to cling to power, that’s where I draw the line,” Toomey explained in a heated discussion with Joe Kernen, host of “Squawk Box.”
While Toomey remains critical of Trump, he also made it clear that he doesn’t support Harris either. He voiced concerns about her economic policies, which he believes would be detrimental to the country’s financial stability. As a staunch fiscal conservative, Toomey took issue with Harris’s proposals, such as raising the corporate tax rate and increasing the capital gains tax for the wealthiest Americans.
Toomey, who retired from the Senate in 2022, was one of the few Republicans who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial, which was centered on charges of inciting an insurrection. Despite the binary nature of the election, Toomey stated that he doesn’t feel compelled to choose between Trump and Harris. “It’s perfectly valid for me to say that neither candidate is acceptable,” he remarked when challenged on the implications of his stance.
Looking ahead, Toomey emphasized the importance of Republican control in the Senate, particularly if Harris were to win the presidency. He argued that a Republican-led Senate would be crucial in checking Harris’s potential initiatives, including her tax policies and any moves towards expanding government healthcare programs like “Medicare for All.”
Toomey also warned of the dangers if Democrats were to gain full control of both the Senate and the presidency, predicting that they would eliminate the filibuster and push through a progressive agenda. He urged Republicans to be steadfast in opposing certain nominations and executive actions that might come under a Harris administration, believing that such resistance could mitigate the impact of her policies.
Throughout his tenure, Toomey has been a consistent voice for fiscal conservatism, and his decision to reject both major candidates in the upcoming election reflects his commitment to those principles. His comments underscore the broader concerns within the Republican Party about the direction of both Trump’s leadership and Harris’s potential presidency.