Powell's support isn't much of a surprise, given his support for President Obama in 2008 and 2012 and clear distaste for Donald Trump. In his leaked emails from last month, Powell also appeared to be talking over the best time to announce his support for Clinton.
But at least it's official now. And Powell is now the third Bush Cabinet official to support Clinton.
Below is that list as it stands:
Former presidents (1?)
- George H.W. Bush (?) -- Kathleen Kennedy Townsend said in a Facebook post that Bush told her this in-person. The president's office isn't confirming it, but she stands by it. "That’s what he said," she told Politico
Members of Congress (1)
- Rep. Richard Hanna (N.Y.), a moderate Republican who is retiring this year, told Syracuse.com that he will support Clinton and that Trump is unfit to lead. He cited Trump's criticism of Khizr Khan. "I think Trump is a national embarrassment," Hanna said. "Is he really the guy you want to have the nuclear codes?"
Former Republican elected officials (12)
- John Warner, former senator from Virginia -- “Loose lips sink ships. Got that, Trump? Loose lips sink ships." Warner added: "You can’t pull up a quick text like ‘National Security for Dummies.'"
- Christine Todd Whitman, former New Jersey governor and George W. Bush administration official: "Why Clinton is the only choice for president"
- Chris Shays, former congressman from Connecticut — "I have friends who are up for office and they say, you know, if you don't support Donald Trump, you're hurting us because then we have to answer the question. And now I'm going one step further. So I am hurting them. But, you know, there's a time when you put your country first."
- Sherwood Boehlert, former congressman from New York
- Connie Morella, former congresswoman from Maryland
- David Durenberger, former senator from Minnesota
- Claudine Schneider, former congresswoman from Rhode Island
- William Milliken, who served as governor of Michigan from 1969 to 1983 — "Because I feel so strongly about our nation's future, I will be joining the growing list of former and present government officials in casting my vote for Hillary Clinton for president in 2016.”
- Larry Pressler, former three-term Republican senator from South Dakota who lost an independent campaign for his old seat in 2014 — "I can’t believe I’m endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, but I am. If someone had told me 10 years ago I would do this, I wouldn’t have believed them."
- Grant Woods, former attorney general of Arizona -- "Hillary Clinton is one of the most qualified nominees to ever run for president. Donald Trump is the least qualified ever."
- Howard Denis, former Maryland state senator
- Jack McGregor, former Pennsylvania state senator
George W. Bush administration officials (30)
- Colin Powell, secretary of state
- Henry Paulson, treasury secretary
- Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security secretary
- Carlos Gutierrez, commerce secretary
- Rosario Marin, U.S. treasurer -- "I will stand up for my community against the menace of a tyrannical presidency that does not value the countless contributions of immigrants."
- John Negroponte, director of national intelligence and deputy secretary of state under Bush, five-time ambassador and Reagan deputy national security adviser
- Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state and adviser to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush — Trump "doesn't appear to be a Republican, he doesn't appear to want to learn about issues. So I’m going to vote for Mrs. Clinton."
- Brent Scowcroft, chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board and adviser to three previous Republican presidents — "The presidency requires the judgment and knowledge to make tough calls under pressure. ... [Clinton] has the wisdom and experience to lead our country at this critical time."
- James Clad, deputy assistant secretary of defense -- "There is no choice: In razor sharp contrast to her opponent, Secretary Clinton is ready, steady and prepared. With a proven preference for bipartisanship, she must win this election."
- Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer -- "I’m a Republican, but I believe that Hillary Clinton is the only qualified major party candidate in the race and she should become president.
- James Glassman, under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs -- "
- William Reilly, Environmental Protection Agency adminstrator
- Alan Steinberg, regional EPA administrator
- Robert Blackwill, former deputy national security adviser and ambassador to India
- Scott Evertz, former director of the Office of National AIDS Policy
- Lezlee Westine, former White House director of public liaison and deputy assistant to the president — “Our nation faces a unique set of challenges that require steady and experienced leadership. That is why today I am personally supporting Hillary Clinton."
- Shirin Tahir-Kheli, special assistant to the president and ambassador and senior adviser for women's empowerment under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
- Ashley J. Tellis, special assistant to the president and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia
- David A. Gross, State Department coordinator for international communications and information policy
- James Kunder, assistant administrator for Asia and the Near East at USAID
- Matthew Waxman, senior official in the State Department and Defense Department
- Kori Schake, National Security Council and State Department aide
- William Sanchez, special counsel for the Justice Department
- Timothy P. Stratford, assistant U.S. trade representative for China
- Daniel Twining, former State Department staff and foreign policy adviser to John McCain
- Deborah Loewer, retired Navy rear admiral and director of White House situation room
- Mark Lagon, former U.S. ambassador-at-large to combat trafficking in persons
- David Ross Meyers, assistant staff secretary
- William A. Pierce, former deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services
- Donald Gregg, national security adviser
Officials in previous GOP administrations (13)
- Louis Sullivan, health and human services secretary under George H.W. Bush -- “I am a Republican, but I am voting for Hillary. I’m not that fired up about Hillary, but I detest Donald Trump so much.”
- Frank Lavin, former Reagan political director and ambassador to Singapore — "It might not be entirely clear that Hillary Clinton deserves to win the presidency, but it is thunderingly clear that Donald Trump deserves to lose. From this premise, I will do something that I have not done in 40 years of voting: I will vote for the Democratic nominee for president."
- Doug Elmets, former Reagan spokesman — "I could live with four years of Hillary Clinton before I could ever live with one day of Donald Trump as president." Elmets spoke at the Democratic National Convention, along with other Republicans now backing Clinton.
- Jim Cicconi, former Reagan and George H.W. Bush aide — "Hillary Clinton is experienced, qualified and will make a fine president. The alternative, I fear, would set our nation on a very dark path.”
- Fred T. Goldberg Jr., former assistant U.S. treasury secretary and IRS commissioner under George H.W. Bush
- Charles Fried, former U.S. solicitor general under Reagan and current Harvard Law professor — "Though long a registered Republican, this will be the third consecutive presidential election in which my party forces the choice between party and, in John McCain’s words, putting America first. ... It is to [Mitt] Romney's credit that this year, like John Paulson and George Will, he is standing up against the brutal, substantively incoherent, and authoritarian tendencies of Donald Trump."
- Pete Teeley, press secretary to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, former U.S. ambassador to Canada and U.S. representative to UNICEF
- Richard Howill, former deputy assistant secretary of state and ambassador to Ecuador under Reagan
- William Ruckelshaus, former Environmental Protection Agency head, deputy attorney general and acting FBI director
- Carla Hills, U.S. trade representative under George H.W. Bush, Housing and Urban Development secretary under Gerald Ford
- Nicholas Rostow, special assistant to Reagan and George H.W. Bush on national security
- Phil Brady, Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations
- Michael Browne, deputy undersecretary of transportation under Gerald Ford
Foreign policy leaders (3)
- Robert Kagan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, former Reagan State Department aide and adviser to the presidential campaigns of John McCain and Mitt Romney
- Max Boot, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and adviser to GOP presidential candidates — "I'm literally losing sleep over Donald Trump. She would be vastly preferable to Trump."
- Peter Mansoor, retired Army colonel and former aide to former CIA director David Petraeus — "It will be the first Democratic presidential candidate I’ve voted for in my adult life."
Business leaders/donors (8)
- Meg Whitman, former Hewlett-Packard chief executive and California gubernatorial nominee — "Donald Trump's demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character. America needs the kind of stable and aspirational leadership Secretary Clinton can provide."
- Marc Andreessen, venture capitalist — "[Silicon] Valley wouldn't be here, we wouldn't be doing any of this if we didn't have the amazing flow of immigrants that we've had in the last 80 years. And the idea of choking that off just makes me sick to my stomach."
- Harry Sloan, head of Global Eagle Acquisition — "He is unprepared and temperamentally unfit to be our president. Most of my Republican friends feel the same way. As a businessman, a father and a conservative, it is clear to me that Hillary Clinton is the right choice in this election."
- Dan Akerson, former chairman and chief executive of General Motors — "Serving as the leader of the free world requires effective leadership, sound judgment, a steady hand and, most importantly, the temperament to deal with crises large and small. Donald Trump lacks each of these characteristics."
- Chuck Robbins, chief executive of Cisco
- Hamid Moghadam, chairman and chief executive of Prologis — "Our country is about tolerance and inclusion and that's why, as a lifelong Republican supporter, I endorse Hillary Clinton for president in this election."
- William Oberndorf, donor of $3 million to GOP candidates since 2012 — "If it is Trump vs. Clinton, and there is no viable third-party candidate, I will be voting for Hillary Clinton."
- Mike Fernandez, $4 million to GOP candidates in recent years — "If I have a choice — and you can put it in bold — if I have a choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton, I’m choosing Hillary. She’s the lesser of two evils."
Political operatives (10)
- David Nierenberg, finance chairman to Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign
- Mark Salter, former top adviser to John McCain — "Whatever Hillary Clinton’s faults, she’s not ignorant or hateful or a nut. She acts like an adult and understands the responsibilities of an American president. That might not be a ringing endorsement. But in 2016, the year of Trump’s s campaign, it’s more than enough."
- Sally Bradshaw, former top Jeb Bush adviser, told CNN that she had left the Republican Party to become an independent because of Trump's presence at the top of the ticket — and that if the race were close in her home state of Florida this fall, she would be voting for Clinton. "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."
- Ana Navarro, Florida GOP consultant and frequent CNN guest
- Maria Comella, former spokeswoman for two of Trump's top backers, Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani — "Instead of speaking out against instances of bigotry, racism and inflammatory rhetoric whether it's been against women, immigrants or Muslims, we made a calculus that it was better to say nothing at all in the interest of politics and winning elections."
- Kurt Bardella, former top aide to Rep. Darrel Issa (R-Calif.) and ex-spokesman for Breitbart News -- "A big reason why I decided that Hillary Clinton is the candidate who I’m voting for -- the first Democrat I’m voting for in my life -- is because this is a time where what’s going on is much bigger than partisanship, bigger than Republican or Democrat, or single issues that traditionally these campaigns are about."
- Mike Treiser, former Mitt Romney aide — "In the face of bigotry, hatred, violence, and small-mindedness, this time, I’m with her.”
- Craig Snyder, former chief of staff to then-Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) and an ex-colleague of former top Trump adviser Roger Stone and current top Trump adviser Paul Manafort.
- Lionel Sosa, a GOP ad-maker who worked for George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan
- Cindy Guerra, former Broward County (Fla.) Republican Party chair
These GOP heavyweights endorse Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump
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