Sen. Susan Collins, who announced her decision this past week that she would not be voting for GOP nominee Donald Trump in the upcoming general election, said Sunday her decision doesn't mean she's trying to help Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton win.
"If I were helping to elect Hillary Clinton, I would have endorsed her," the Maine Republican senior senator told CBS
"Face the Nation" anchor John Dickerson. "I'd be working for her, and I'd be voting for her. I'm not doing any of those things. I, unfortunately, cannot support either major party candidate."
Collins said she is taking a serious look at Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld, as they are two former Republican governors who were very successful.
She admitted her choice would be easier if Weld was on top of the ticket because she knows him well and respects him.
If Collins decides against voting for the LIbertarian ticket, she said she may end up writing in the name of a person she thinks is best qualified to be the next president, but her vote will not go to Trump or Clinton.
She repeated that her tipping point was Trump's comments about two Gold Star parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, after the father, Khizr, spoke out against Trump at the Democratic National Convention.
"The barrage of comments and the attacks on people who are vulnerable and unable to fight back really troubled me," said Collins.
She told Dickerson she is also concerned about Trump's judgment and temperament.
"I know that it appeals to people that Donald Trump has jettisoned the politically correct, stilted campaign speeches that frustrate voters," said Collins. "But the problem is that there's a big difference between that and treating people with respect and common decency. And there's where, in my judgment, Donald Trump has failed."
The senator does plan to concentrate her efforts toward other Republican candidates across the country, as she feels it is essential that the party stay in the majority in Congress to keep a check on the new president, no matter who gets elected.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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