It’s been a bleak day for team #NeverTrump.
The movement’s namesake nemesis, Donald Trump, finally shoved Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) out of the race Tuesday night with a double-digit primary win in Indiana, cementing himself as the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a long-shot challenger, was expected to leave the race Wednesday afternoon.
Now, the pundits who have for months railed against the billionaire are left with a hard pill to swallow: fall in line and vote Trump, stay home on Election Day or cast a protest vote for the Democratic nominee.
Here are some of the most prominent #NeverTrump faces still holding the line.
Erick Erickson
Erickson, the RedState founder who now blogs at The Resurgent, vowed to leave the Republican Party if Trump becomes its nominee.
He also said if the party refuses to denounce Trump, they’re opening the door for “another David Duke” to rise under the GOP’s banner.
Steve Deace
The influential talk radio host, who endorsed and campaigned with Cruz in Iowa, posted a photo of paperwork changing his party affiliation alongside George Michael lyrics.
All we have to see, is that I don’t belong to you. And you don’t belong to me.
Freedom pic.twitter.com/JBUtF8fsdZ
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) May 4, 2016
Bill Kristol
After amending his hard-line stance on Trump to “never say never” earlier this week, Kristol was right back at it early Wednesday morning.
The battle for the 2016 GOP nomination is over. The battle for the soul of the Republican Party (or its successor) has just begun.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 4, 2016
Glenn Beck
A surrogate for the Cruz campaign, Beck called on supporters to “weather the storm” and accept their personal responsibilities in the battle for liberty in a blog post published Tuesday night.
Beck also ended his fast, which he launched ahead of Cruz’s last-ditch battle at the polls in Indiana.
John Podhoretz
Left with a choice between two “devils we know,” Podhoretz said he would rather stay home in November.
“Because the GOP has become unfit, we will not be able to avoid the choice between them, except by literal avoidance—by staying home. Many, many millions of us will surely do so,” he wrote in Commentary.
Dan McLaughlin
The RedState editor and Baseball Crank himself said he won’t vote Republican in the general.
For the first time since turning 18, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) May 4, 2016
Philip Klein
Klein, managing editor of the conservative Washington Examiner, tweeted that he de-registered as a Republican the night of the Indiana primary.
I have officially de-registered as a Republican. pic.twitter.com/DjRI21Oyvx
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) May 4, 2016
Guy Benson
Benson, a Fox News contributor, also said he’s jumping ship on backing his party’s nominee.
Much to my deep chagrin (& astonishment ~8 months ago), for the 1st time in my life, I will not support the GOP nominee for president.
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) May 3, 2016
Mark Salter
“I’m with her,” the former speechwriter for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) tweeted Tuesday morning in a reference to Clinton.
the GOP is going to nominate for President a guy who reads the National Enquirer and thinks it’s on the level. I’m with her.
— Mark Salter (@MarkSalter55) May 3, 2016
Ben Howe
Howe, a conservative activist and RedState editor, plans to actively fight Trump as the Republican general election candidate, which he acknowledged means he’s helping the Democrats.
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) May 3, 2016
Leon Wolf
After Cruz left the race, Wolf, the editor of RedState, said Tuesday night that he’s considering voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“If it’s a competitive election, I probably will be compelled to vote for Hillary,” he told the Daily Beast. “I do feel pretty confident that she would actually be a better president than Trump. I wouldn’t go to bed every night worrying about a mushroom cloud opening up somewhere in the world because of some insane thing Trump had done.”
Lachlan Markay
Markay, a Washington Free Beacon staffer, tweeted a photo that appeared to show his DC voter registration card (party affiliation: Republican) going up in flames.
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) May 4, 2016
The downside to Republicans supporting Hillary over Trump . . . We are going to hear for days from the Berners how this proves Hillary is a Republican.
Republicans staying home = lots of help for down ticket (D) candidates.
Those that truly believe that are as hopelessly deluded and irrational as are Tea Party members.
They’ll all dutifully cast a ballot for Trump on election day. Book it.
You’re probably right. But, reading this article, for at least today, has brought me great comfort.