Carlos Gutierrez, President George W. Bush's former Secretary of Commerce, said Sunday that Hillary Clinton would make a "darn good president," and he'll be voting for her this fall.
"I actually think Hillary Clinton has the experience, she's been around, she knows how the system works," Gutierrez told CNN "State of the Union" anchor Jake Tapper.
"I would have preferred Jeb Bush, but I think Hillary is a great choice. I am afraid of what Donald Trump would do to this country."
He said his breaking point came when Trump expressed doubts earlier this summer that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing a lawsuit against Trump University, could preside fairly over the case because of his Mexican heritage. Trump's comments came just weeks after he secured the GOP nomination.
"I have been a Republican," Gutierrez told Tapper. "My inclination was to vote for a Republican. I was a Jeb Bush person. I made the switch away from Trump, it was that week of the judge ... that for me did it. That's it. I don't want to go back to a country where, if a child has a Spanish last name, that the president, the leader of the country, is giving kids a license to bully them."
In this election, though, Gutierrez said he is not thinking about the candidates' parties, but about which will be best for the United States.
"I have one resume here for Donald Trump," he said. "I have one resume here for Hillary Clinton, and I have chosen this resume. I think this person, Hillary Clinton, is the best for the country. I am not thinking about a Republican. I am thinking about a U.S. citizen. I think at some point you have to put the party aside and say what's best for the country. I don't want to live in a society that I think Donald Trump will create."
Gutierrez is one of a wide slate of Republicans turning their backs on GOP nominee Donald Trump, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois and Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Richard Hanna of New York and Scott Rigell of Virginia.
However, many of them have said they will also not vote for Hillary Clinton, and could likely write in a candidate. Rigell said last week he is endorsing Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.
The former Commerce Secretary said he, like the others, had the option not to vote at all, but he thinks "that's letting ourselves off the hook...I am afraid of what Donald Trump would do to this country."
In addition, 50 key national GOP security officials have signed a letter saying they fear Trump would endanger "our country's national security and well-being," and 70 current and former lawmakers penned a letter to the Republican National Committee, asking that it spend money defending GOP congressional seats rather than on Trump's campaign.
Gutierrez told Tapper there are many other Republicans who are hesitating to support Clinton, but will not vote for Trump, as they are "totally disgusted by the Trump nomination."
"I think that will be a big problem for the Trump campaign," he said. "This is a time to think about the country and even think about the party. If Trump wins, I think it's a tactical victory for him, and a strategic loss for the GOP. This is the time to stand up and show some leadership."
Gutierrez, though, said he does like some of what he is hearing from Trump, and he does "love the tax cuts" as a Republican.
"But then he has this sort of import substitution strategy, which is a strategy like an underdeveloped country," said Gutierrez. "Very poor countries think that way, [that] we have to substitute our imports. That would be a disaster, especially for income taxes."
He said he is also concerned about a Trump society, especially after hearing former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke is seeking a Senate seat "under Trump's platform."
"Is that a trend?" Gutierrez, a former Kellogg CEO, said. "Are we going to see more of that? Is that the kind of society we're going to be? Are we going back 50 years? I don't want to go back 50 years."
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