Republicans crossing over to vote Biden in primaries will likely stick with him in November: conservative columnist

In a late-breaking column for the Daily Beast, conservative columnist Matt Lewis announced that he would be taking advantage of Virginia's open primary to vote for former Vice President Joe Biden in an attempt to halt the rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and to hopefully beat Donald Trump in the November election.

Last December Lewis expressed disgust with the Republican Party, writing, "Donald Trump’s Republican Party has adopted all the worst qualities I used to hate about the American left. The good news is that this has created an opening for the Democratic Party to seize the moral high ground. The bad news is most of the so-called conservatives have followed Trump down the drain," which led to his admission on Super Tuesday that he will be voting for Biden.

"Later today, I will cast my Super Tuesday Virginia primary vote for a Democrat: Joe Biden. There’s a first time for everything," Lewis wrote before admitting that supporters of Sanders will likely resent him even more for his latest stance and involvement into the Democratic Party's primaries.

By way of explanation, he wrote, "My brand of meddling is different. First, to assuage my Democratic readers, I happen to be voting for the candidate who I sincerely believe would have the best chance of defeating Donald J. Trump. Second, for my Republican friends, what I am doing (albeit within the confines of the Democratic primary) is following the Buckley Rule: supporting the most conservative candidate who has a chance to win."

 "I have an affinity for Biden. He has been through a lot in his personal life. And now, having stumbled badly at the start of this campaign, his underdog status makes him all the more endearing. At some level, it’s hard not to root for Joe," he continued. "Admittedly, though, my real goal is to stop Sanders. That’s because the worst possible scenario for America is a Trump vs. Sanders match-up."

Saying the possible Sanders' candidacy could lead to another "... president who is far, far outside the mainstream of traditional American thought," Lewis also admitted that he fears four more years of Donald Trump.

"Republicans won’t replace Trump on the ballot, so nominating Biden is the best way for Democrats to defuse this looming disaster, which is why I’m voting for him in the primary and urging all my conservative brethren to do the same," he wrote, before adding the caveat that he might not vote for either Biden or Trump in the November general election if those are the two choices. 

"I’m still unlikely to vote in November. The reason? Because of my views on a myriad of important issues, including life, I cannot, in good conscience, cast a vote that, in my mind, is tantamount to endorsing the unacceptable platform, policies, and appointments of a presidential administration," he explained, before adding not all conservatives who cross party lines in open primaries will sit out November.

"It seems very likely to me that many center-right folks who vote for Biden today will also feel compelled to support him come November," he added before speculating, "On Super Tuesday, educated white suburbanites (including Never Trumpers) will join with the African-American community (once, but no longer, viewed as the most progressive Democratic coalition), in what might be a last-ditch effort to save American and stop crazy 'woke' white folks from nominating Crazy Bernie."

You can read his whole column here (subscription required).