, Columnist
Why Party Defections Matter
Voters say they aren't affected by some Republicans' support for Clinton. But they are.
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It was treated as big news earlier this week when Meg Whitman, the chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, along with a handful of other Republican figures, announced they would vote for Hillary Clinton. Whitman, who was a GOP candidate for governor of California in 2010, is a billionaire and will be raising money for Clinton. The other Republicans decamping are Richard Hanna, a New York congressman who is retiring, and at least three campaign operatives.
Some pundits were quick to ridicule the notion that such defections will affect any actual voters.