Hours before she set foot in 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg Monday afternoon, politicos on social media noted how odd it was that Republicans Mike and Leigh Harting would host Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Ostensibly, she was in town to hear concerns from small business owners as well as their ideas on how the federal government could make it easier for them. In introducing her after a brief tour of the brewery, Mike Harting didn’t endorse her — but he also seemed to shy away from any disagreements with the candidate.
“We greatly look forward to what it is that she is willing to do, or willing to look at, to help us grow our business,” he said.
In a phone call after CL's print deadline, the Hartings clarified that they are not publicly endorsing any candidate, and would afford Republican nominee Donald Trump the same opportunity. They had positive things to say about their private conversation with Clinton, and said they preferred to keep their political leanings to themselves.
If Clinton were ultimately to get their vote, they wouldn’t be the only Republicans to support Clinton over Trump.
“He would be treated exactly the same,” Leigh Harting said.
In the wake of the Democratic National Convention, scores of well-known Republicans across the country have voiced their support for Clinton — however reluctantly — as Trump made a string of boneheaded moves, including attacking the family of a fallen Muslim soldier on Twitter.
Sally Bradshaw, a respected consultant from Florida, left the GOP and will back Clinton. And Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and 50 former intelligence officials, all Republican, also said they couldn't vote Trump, though they didn't voice support for his Democratic opponent.
“The numbers of Republicans who have defected is far beyond the average range you would assume,” said Darryl Paulson, professor emeritus of political science at USF St. Petersburg. “Plus, not only are you getting more Republicans defecting from Trump, those who are defecting are some very prominent and active Republicans.”
Though Clinton has long been a favored target of the right, mainstream Republicans are turned off by Trump’s egotism and his lack of understanding of some of the complex issues he’d face as president.
“What makes this race different is that far more people are looking at Trump and simply saying, ‘I just can’t support him no matter what. He is totally unqualified, unprepared to be president, would put the United States in danger… that he doesn’t tolerate dissent and contrary opinions well,’” Paulson said. “You want a president who can not only be challenged in his viewpoints, but is willing to listen to critics whether he agrees with them or not.”
Clinton’s campaign, Paulson said, may at this point just be about staying out of the way as the Trump candidacy implodes, playing up only his most egregious utterances.
Like his most recent gaffe: The erroneous suggestion to a North Carolina crowd on Tuesday that if Clinton were elected she’d try to abolish the 2nd Amendment, and that once she started appointing judges, there’d be “nothing you can do, folks. Although the 2nd Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.”
Many took this offhand remark as an incitement to violence. “This is simple,” said the Hillary for America campaign manager. “What Trump is saying is dangerous. A person seeking to be the President of the United States should not suggest violence in any way.”
(Trump’s campaign countered with a statement condemning “biased media” and claiming the GOP nominee was referring to the “great political power” of “tremendously unified” gun rights advocates.)
But it’s not as if Clinton’s campaign can sit back and simply fire off a canned statement every time Trump says something dumb.
Even as the center-right appears to be coming into the fold, there’s that angry chunk of voters on the left inclined toward Green Party nominee Jill Stein in lieu of a Sen. Bernie Sanders candidacy. Yet Democratic defectors might not make much of a difference in the long run, especially in the face of a possible Trump presidency.
“There’s always a period of time after the convention when you have a number of people who say no they won’t, but as the election gets close, people stick with their party,” said University of Central Florida political science professor Aubrey Jewett.
Of course, there is an outside chance Trump could shift his course via dramatic changes to his conduct, Jewett said, and by focusing on issues important to the entire Republican base.
“Having said that, Donald Trump has never shown the ability to be a disciplined candidate. I certainly think we’re going to see some attempts at it.”
This article appears in Aug 11-18, 2016.