Shortly after the 2012 election cycle, Sally Bradshaw, a veteran Republican official and a longtime aide to Jeb Bush and George H.W. Bush, co-authored the Republican National Committee's "autopsy" report, which many in the party ignored, despite its worthwhile recommendations.
This cycle, Bradshaw is the latest Republican to decide she just can't stay in the party any longer. The Atlantic reported this afternoon:
Longtime Republican operative Sally Bradshaw tried to remake the GOP so its candidate would be a shoo-in this November. Now, she's leaving the party entirely. In an interview with CNN, Bradshaw, a Jeb Bush adviser who helped author the so-called "GOP autopsy" after the Republicans' 2012 defeat, suggested she cannot in good conscience vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, and has re-registered as an Independent.
Bradshaw told CNN, "As much as I don't want another four years of (President Barack) Obama's policies, I can't look my children in the eye and tell them I voted for Donald Trump. I can't tell them to love their neighbor and treat others the way they wanted to be treated, and then vote for Donald Trump. I won't do it."
The longtime Republican added, "If the race in Florida is close, I will vote for Hillary Clinton. That is a very difficult statement for me to make."
This got me thinking about just how many other Republicans have given up on the GOP of late. Bradshaw is a high-profile defection, but is she effectively alone?
Not really. While elected Republican members of Congress, not surprisingly, are sticking with their party, note that columnist George F. Will, strategist/pundit Mary Matalin, and even Daniel Pipes, a conservative veteran of five presidential administrations, have ended their lengthy associations with the GOP.
I've also been keeping track of some of the public officials who've officially left the Republican Party recently, a list that includes some mayors and state lawmakers.
After their 2012 losses, Republicans set out to make their party bigger. Donald Trump is making it smaller. No wonder Sally Bradshaw is walking away.