1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

My vote is not available to any Republican who bent the knee to Donald Trump — and I want you to know that clearly before 2026 or 2028. Marco Rubio is a perfect example. I once believed in him. I thought he could modernize Reagan conservatism, reach voters Republicans have been losing, and lead with actual decency. That version of Rubio is gone. The man who sat silently on a couch while Trump and JD Vance humiliated a wartime ally on camera is not a leader — he's a prop. The argument that someone like Rubio is "playing the long game" doesn't hold up. If he's willing to abandon every principle to get close to power, there's no reason to trust he'd govern differently once he has it. Ambition without integrity is just a different kind of danger. Republicans who want my support need to demonstrate independence from Trump, not complicity with him. That's the standard I'm holding, and I'm not moving it.