Former Republican Presidential Candidate Says He'd Support Bernie Over Trump, Despite 'Democratic Socialist' Label

Former GOP presidential candidate Joe Walsh said Tuesday that he would prefer Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders over Republican incumbent President Donald Trump during November’s general election.

In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Walsh said he would “rather have a socialist in the White House than a con man,” referring to Sanders and Trump, respectively. Sanders has described himself as a “democratic socialist,” and has advocated for free public healthcare along with abolishing college tuition.

Walsh, a former Illinois congressman and Tea Party member, had announced in August that he was running for president. Walsh sought the Republican nomination but dropped out after a poor showing in the Iowa caucus on Feb. 7.

Walsh defines himself as a “Never Trumper,” meaning a Republican who would never vote for Donald Trump. He said that anti-Trump Republicans should “suck it up and support his Democratic opponent, no matter who that is.”

Since Trump was elected in 2016, a cadre of “Never Trumper” organizations and figures have emerged, which could complicate Trump’s chances of re-election and benefit the Democratic nominee.

The Lincoln Project, for example, is an organization that seeks to “defeat Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box.” The organization has enlisted conservative “Never Trumper” advisers such as political pundit George Conway and New Hampshire Republican Jennifer Horn.

Another anti-Trump conservative group, Republicans for the Rule of Law, seeks to pressure GOP leaders into investigations of possible wrongdoing by Trump.

Although there are some anti-Trump Republicans, Trump actually maintains a high level of support from his own party. A Hill/Harris-X survey conducted earlier in February shows 79% of Republicans approve of Trump.