Prominent Asian-American Republican Ready to Leave GOP
A Republican representative in Hawaii, cited as a rising star on the right, told NBC News Thursday she no longer felt she was in the position to defend the GOP, one day after her colleagues ousted her as House minority leader.
Rep. Beth Fukumoto, who served as the Hawaii House minority leader since 2014, said she became the subject of intense criticism from her caucus after her participation in the Women's March in Honolulu on Jan. 21, where she spoke out against the racism and bigotry that had become associated with the Republican Party, as well as the rhetoric and actions of President Donald Trump.
"There were many little girls watching [the election] who walked away believing that you can bully people and still win," Fukumoto told NBC News. "And what I said at the march was that regardless of who we voted for in the election, it was all of our responsibilities to show those same kids that in the end kindness and respect should always win."
Within 24 hours of her speech, Fukumoto said she was receiving calls and texts from her colleagues to meet, as well as fielding calls for her resignation for speaking out against the president.
On Wednesday, all but one of Fukumoto's colleagues voted to remove her from her leadership position...
If she leaves the Republican Party, Fukumoto told NBC News she would look to join the Democrats.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/hawaii-republican-leader-vocal-trump-opposition-ready-leave-gop-n716071?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_aa
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