The lifelong Republican mayor of Oklahoma City, David Holt, announced this past week, he would not cast his ballot for the Republican presidential candidate in a column entitled: "A Republican Mayor's Unexpected Presidential Vote."
Holt begins his column by quoting the Bible verse 1 Thessalonians 5:21, "Hold fast to what is good." He then recounts his years of supporting Republican presidential candidates, even from age 9 when he eagerly watched George H.W. Bush's inauguration in 1989. During those years, he said he viewed policy as the differentiating factor between the two leading candidates.
"It is only in 2016, 2020 and 2024 that I have been forced to recognize that there are criteria inherently more important, criteria that I took for granted," Holt said. "These criteria could be thought of as the three Cs: CHARACTER, COMPETENCE and COMMITMENT to our form of government."
Holt said, among other things, he took for granted that both leading candidates would refrain from praising dictators, would not dehumanize their political opponents, would possess the minimum level of competence required to hold the position, would be firmly committed to the U.S. Constitution, would respect the democratic process and would graciously accept a loss to their opponent when the votes were tallied.
"Perhaps you are like me and you look forward to the day when we can again look beyond the three Cs and consider policy as our presidential differentiator," Holt said. "We should all work towards that day. But that day is not November 5, 2024. On that day, I will hold fast to what is good. On that day, I will vote for virtue."
Previously, in 2016, Holt had said that Trump is "not competent to be president, he’s wrong on the issues, he’s not a conservative, he lacks human decency and, maybe, worst of all, he speaks like he’s a dictator," "I can never support Donald Trump in good conscience."
He added, "I have to sleep at night. I have a daughter. I can’t support someone who lacks the basic human decency that Mr. Trump does."
The Oklahoman newspaper asked Holt whether he stood by these statements, to which he said, "I hope I always stand by my statements."
The Oklahoman newspaper, 10/25/24