McKean, who has been a registered Republican for nearly a half century, joins a small cohort of state lawmakers across the country who have fled the GOP.
Iowa Rep. Andy McKean is the latest in a lengthening list of formerly Republican legislators who have left the GOP due to Trump and the party’s blind support for him.
“State Rep. Andy McKean, ditched the GOP on Tuesday as he offered a searing renunciation of President Trump, saying he could no longer support Trump as the party’s standard-bearer ... ‘Unacceptable behavior should be called out for what it is,’ he said during the news conference at the Iowa Statehouse in Des Moines, ‘and Americans of all parties should insist on something far better in the leader of their country and the free world.’ ...
“McKean said he believed it was ‘just a matter of time’ before the country ‘pays a heavy price for Trump’s reckless spending and shortsighted financial policies,’ as well as his administration’s environmental and ‘destabilizing’ foreign policies. ‘He sets, in my opinion, a poor example for the nation and particularly for our children by personally insulting, often in a crude and juvenile fashion, those who disagree with him, being a bully at a time when we’re attempting to discourage bullying. ... I believe his actions have coarsened political discourse, have resulted in unprecedented divisiveness and have created an atmosphere that is a breeding ground for hateful rhetoric and actions. Some would excuse this behavior as “telling it like it is” and the new normal. If this is the new normal, I want no part of it.’ ...
“Had it not been for Trump, he said he ‘might have limped along’ within the Republican caucus, attempting to do what was best for his constituents. ‘However, ... the time comes when you have to be true to yourself and follow the dictates of your conscience. For me, that time has come.’”
McKean was “the longest serving Republican in the legislature, serving seven terms in the Iowa House and three in the Senate.” He has been a registered Republican for nearly 50 years. He is now formally joining the Democratic Party.
