Long time Republicans are ditching the political party after the January 6th Capitol riots left a bad taste in some GOP members’ mouths. However, a new study shows the trend has been actually growing for years.
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“The Republican Party as I knew it no longer exists. I’d call it the cult of Trump,” said, previous Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence in the Bush administration, Jimmy Gurulé, according to Reuters.
In January, 12,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania removed the “R” from their voter registration. According to reports, Arizona followed suit with about 9,200, and in North Carolina, about 8,000 left the party.
The change is notable because Republicans are losing supporters at a faster rate than Democrats. The publication also points out that just because a person is registered to a party does not mean they always support its candidates.
“If it continues to be the party of Trump, many of us are not going back,” said a former Treasurer of the U.S. under Bush, Rosario Marin. “Unless the Senate convicts him, and rids themselves of the Trump cancer, many of us will not be going back to vote for Republican leaders.”
There also seems to be a correlation between education level and those leaving the Republican party. Support from those with a college degree has decreased by 5 points. But support from those with just a high school diploma has increased by 7 points.
However, the publication notes the educational data is not related to intelligence. It also adds that within the last ten years of the GOP, the population of adults without higher education is shrinking.
Some Republicans say they understand why folks are leaving the party but someone needs to stay and repair what Donald Trump left behind.
Suzy DeFrancis, who served during the Richard Nixon and George W. Bush administrations, voted for President Joe Biden in November. She says the Republican party needs restructuring back to its original pillars like personal responsibility, limited government, and strong national defense.
“I totally understand why people are frustrated and want to leave the party,” said DeFrancis to Reuters. “I’ve had that feeling for 4 years.”
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