Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA) said on Friday that he will vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson for president because he does not wish to support either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.
“I’ve always said I will not vote for Donald Trump and I will not vote for Hillary Clinton,” he told the New York Times. “I’m going to vote for the Libertarian candidate.”
Rigell, who is not running for re-election this year, became the first sitting lawmaker to openly support Johnson, according to the New York Times.
The Virginia congressman said back in March that he was unable to support Trump.
“I reject Trump as our nominee based on his judgment, temperament and character, all of which point to a reckless, embarrassing and ultimately dangerous presidency,” he wrote in a letter ahead of the Virginia presidential primary.
Rigell told the New York Times that he’s been advising his fellow Republicans to condemn Trump’s remarks when they disagree with him.
“When their own conscience is seared by some statement that Trump has made, I have encouraged them to be direct and also, in a timely manner, repudiate what he said,” he said. “People will respect it if you have a reason and you put it out there.”
The congressman said that he is still a Republican, but told the Times that if the Republican party aligned with Trump more closely, he would become an independent.
