List of Democrats who opposed the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign

This article is part of a series about
Hillary Clinton

First Lady of the United States

U.S. Senator from New York

Tenure

U.S. Secretary of State

2008 presidential campaign

2016 presidential campaign

Organizations

Most Democratic voters supported Hillary Clinton,^[1]^[2] but some traditionally Democratic counties in the Rust Belt voted for Donald Trump. One reason given for Trump winning counties in Appalachian Ohio in the 2016 Ohio Republican primary was Democratic voters opposed to free trade who had voted in the Republican primary.^[3] In general CNN exit polls showed Ohio Democratic voters with slightly less support for Clinton than the national average,^[4] and Trump receiving higher support among Democratic voters in Ohio than Romney had in 2012.^[5]

Hillary Clinton had relatively low support in Appalachia from Democratic voters. In interviews with The Guardian, Appalachian Democrats voting for Trump cited concerns about NAFTA and coal-mining.^[6] An exit poll showed Donald Trump receiving 22% of the Democratic vote in Kentucky,^[7] a state Clinton had won overwhelmingly in the 2008 presidential primary.^[8] Elliott County, Kentucky, which had the longest unbroken streak of voting Democrat of any county in the United States, went for Trump.^[9] Some Appalachian states, such as Tennessee and West Virginia, did not have exit polls.^[10]

Overall CNN exit polls indicated Clinton received 89% of the Democratic vote,^[11] compared with House Democrats receiving 92% of the Democratic vote.^[12] The difference between percentage of Republicans voting for a Republican representative and voting for Trump was six points. The Democrats who voted for Trump have been labelled "Trumpocrats".^[13]

There were also Democratic voters who favored Jill Stein. In Oregon, Stein received one percent of the Democratic vote according to CNN exit polls,^[14] equal to the total for all third-party voting among Democrats in 2012.^[15]

Prominent Democrats who supported other candidates

This list also includes people who left the Democratic Party in 2016.

Democrats for Trump

Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots^[16]
David Clarke, Sheriff of Milwaukee County
Michael T. Flynn,^[a] retired three-star General, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency^[17]
Tom Luken, former mayor of Cincinnati and former United States Representative^[18]
Peter Navarro, UC Irvine Professor and former Democratic nominee for California's 49th congressional district^[19]
Richard Ojeda, West Virginia State Senator from the 7th district
David Saunders, political strategist and author^[20]
Andrew Stein, former Borough President of Manhattan and President of the New York City Council^[21]
Adam Walinsky, lawyer who served in the Department of Justice and as a speechwriter for Robert F. Kennedy^[22]^[23]
R. James Woolsey Jr., former Director of Central Intelligence^[24]

Democrats for Stein

Cecil Bothwell, member of the Asheville, North Carolina city council (switched to Independent)^[25]^[26]
Jimmy Dore, comedian and political commentator (switched to Independent)^[27]
Coleen Rowley, former FBI agent and congressional candidate^[28]
Susan Sarandon, actress^[29]

Others

Jim Justice, Democratic nominee for governor of West Virginia^[30]
Rocky De La Fuente, businessman and 2016 presidential candidate
Caitlin Flanagan, writer and social critic^[31]
Douglas Schoen, conservative analyst and Democratic political operative^[32]
Jim Webb, former United States Senator from Virginia (2007–2013)^[33]
Douglas Wilder, former Governor of Virginia^[34]

Notes

^ Indicated support before Donald Trump's presumptive nomination on May 4.

References

^ "Populism is Democrats' best shot at regaining power". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "Donald Trump's Path to Victory Through the Rust Belt". ABC News. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "Analysis | The Daily 202: Rust Belt Dems broke for Trump because they thought Clinton cared more about bathrooms than jobs". The Washington Post. July 17, 2020.
^ "2016 election results: Ohio Exit polls". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
^ "2012 election results: Ohio Exit polls". CNN. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
^ Hoel, Arne (October 2, 2016). "Trump country: why Democratic strongholds are turning red". The Guardian. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "2016 election results: Kentucky Exit polls". CNN. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "Kentucky Democratic Delegation 2008". Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "Covington Chooses Change: Meyer Elected Mayor, Williams Back on Commission". November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "Exit polls will skip 22 states this year". Politico. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023.
^ CNN exit polls for President
^ CNN exit polls on House voters
^ "Trumpocrats: Are They the Next Reagan Democrats?". Retrieved November 25, 2016 – via www.bloomberg.com.
^ "2016 election results: Oregon Exit polls". CNN. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
^ "2011 election results: Oregon Exit polls". CNN. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
^ "Trump called Robert Kraft every week for a year after his wife's death".
^ Hosenball, Mark & Holland, Steve (February 26, 2016). "Trump being advised by ex-U.S. Lieutenant General who favors closer Russia ties". Reuters.
^ "Ex-Democratic congressman Luken: I'm voting for Trump". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 3, 2016.
^ Roosevelt, Margot (August 16, 2016). "One of Trump's biggest economic supporters? It's a UC Irvine economist". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
^ Sherfinski, David (July 8, 2016). "Dave 'Mudcat' Saunders, Democratic strategist, voting for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton". The Washington Times.
^ Chait, Jonathan (September 22, 2016). "Trump Endorsed by Populist Democrat, Money Launderer Andrew Stein". Retrieved September 23, 2016.
^ "Adam Walinsky Personal Papers – John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum". Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "I Was RFK’s Speechwriter. Now I’m Voting for Trump. Here’s Why.", politico.com, September 21, 2016
^ "Former Clinton-Era Intelligence Director Woolsey to Advise Trump". Bloomberg Politics. September 12, 2016.
^ Burgess, Joel (July 13, 2016). "Bothwell leaves Democrats over Clinton". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
^ Letters (August 12, 2016). "Letter writer: Bothwell echoes Sanders' plan to leave Democratic Party | Mountain Xpress". Mountainx.com. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
^ Goodman, H.A. (May 8, 2017). "How The Young Turks Helped Elect Trump". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
^ "Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein Coming to Minnesota". Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ Reilly, Mollie (November 1, 2016). "Susan Sarandon Goes Full 'Bernie Or Bust,' Endorses Jill Stein". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "For the first time, a big-name Democrat isn't supporting Clinton. But this one's no surprise". Washington Post. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
^ Flanagan, Caitlin (January 21, 2016). "Caitlin Flanagan: Why I Won't Vote for Hillary". Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ "Will 'foot-dragging' trip Clinton up?". Financial Times. November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
^ Collins, Eliza (March 4, 2016). "Jim Webb: I Won't Vote for Clinton, But I May for Trump". Politico. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
^ "First elected black governor: Clinton takes black vote for granted". September 22, 2016.