First Republican congressman pledges to vote Clinton

A three-term US representative from New York on Tuesday became the first Republican member of Congress to declare publicly that he will vote for Hillary Clinton for president.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Source: AAP

While other Republicans in the House have refused to endorse Republican nominee Donald Trump, so far none of the others have promised to cross the aisle and vote for his Democratic rival on November 8, US media reported.

Richard Hanna, who represents an eight-county district in upstate New York and is a former businessman, announced his decision in an interview and a letter on the opinion pages of local news site Syracuse.com.

"While I disagree with her on many issues, I will vote for Mrs Clinton," he wrote.

"Our response to the public's anger and the need to rebuild requires complex solutions, experience, knowledge and balance. Not bumper sticker slogans that pander to our disappointment, fear and hate," he added.
Hanna said the former US secretary of state, first lady and New York senator had promoted many issues to which he has been committed, including the expansion of education and women's health care.

Syracuse.com reported that Hanna said in an interview he considered supporting Clinton for months, but decided to take action after watching Trump criticize the Muslim American parents of a US soldier killed in Iraq.

Hanna has served as congressman from New York since 2011 and previously announced plans to retire in December when his third term ends.




Share
Published 3 August 2016 8:35am
Updated 9 August 2016 3:55pm
Source: AFP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world