When Democrats in rural Washington state elected 19-year old Levi Guerra, they did so based on her solemn vow: to stop Donald Trump if he won.
Now, reality dictates that Guerra, a Bernie Sanders supporter, make good on her promise—and she plans to do just that.
“I stand behind Hamilton Electors,” Guerra said. “I promised those who elected me that I would do everything I could to keep Donald Trump out of office.”
The “Hamilton Electors,” the name given to a small band of faithless electors, who—based on Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist no. 68—pledge to deny the presidency from “any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications,” in this case one Mr. Donald J. Trump. Their goal is to draft enough Republican defectors to deny Trump the presidency; reports indicate as many as 20 of the necessary 37 Republican electors are open to voting against the president-elect.
Friday, two faithless electors gave an AMA on Reddit, answering questions about their decision to vote against their state’s wishes.
"I take my orders from the U.S. Constitution, and my oath to preserve and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, trumps any other commitments," Chris Suprun wrote on the AMA. "I’ll be voting with a clear conscience on December 19th, and I hope that many of my fellow electors will join me in finding a responsible Republican to replace both candidates, such as Republican Governor John Kasich of Ohio."
"The immediate existential threat that Donald Trump poses our nation is greater than the speculation of what some may or may not do,” Hamilton Elector founder Bret Chiafalo added. "The Constitution compels us to act.”
For Guerra, who said she reads the Federalist Papers and studies the Electoral College, she hopes her decision process shows that she’s standing up for all Americans.
“I’m only 19 and this is my first time being involved in politics, but I hope that my willingness to put my country before my party will show that my generation cares about all Americans,” Guerra told KUOW.
