Mark Lenzi considers himself a “New Hampshire practical Republican,” the kind that’s moderate and independent.
A former civilian contractor who was embedded with troops in Iraq, he’s also worked for the New Hampshire Republican Party and Arizona Sen. John McCain, whom Lenzi describes as a mentor.
This November, Lenzi plans to cast his ballot for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He is one of the New Hampshire Republicans displeased with his party’s current nominee, Donald Trump, and dismayed that many party leaders are continuing to support the billionaire businessman.
“Trump is such an outlier, I don’t really consider him a Republican,” Lenzi said.
The primary process has been a long struggle for many moderate Republicans who say Trump was not their first, second, third or fourth choice. The New Hampshire Union Leader recently endorsed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, breaking from a 100-year track record of endorsing Republicans for president.
Some are contemplating voting for Johnson, writing in a candidate or simply sitting out the presidential contest, but a handful of New Hampshire Republicans are going public with their support of Clinton.
Lenzi and others who have done so say many more have expressed their plans to vote for Clinton quietly at dinners and backyard barbeques.
Although he’s never before voted for a Democrat, Lenzi said his decision “wasn’t that much of a stretch.” He has always been focused on foreign policy, and considers Clinton an experienced and capable leader in that realm.
“She knows these countries well, she’s very moderate in her views of the world,” he said.
Jim Steiner, a Concord attorney and military veteran, said Trump’s track record of getting into fights with people who have insulted him is a troubling sign for a potential future leader of the free world.
Unlike many fellow Republicans, Steiner sees Clinton’s ability to stay standing after years of attacks as a positive thing.
“She is capable of hearing and accepting it, she’s capable of being presidential,” he said. “She doesn’t engage in these school yard (fights).”
Steiner, Lenzi and fellow Republican Betty Tamposi, who served as assistant secretary of state under former president George H.W. Bush, say they have many concerns about Trump, but one of the most pressing issues centers on foreign policy.
Trump’s admiration for Russian president Vladimir Putin is well-documented. The nominee recently said Putin is more of a leader than President Obama and encouraged Russian leaders to hack into Clinton’s state department emails.
Tamposi said Trump’s comments about Russia are “just beyond our imagination.”
“I would say that people are aghast, they’re dumbfounded by it,” Tamposi said. “It does speak volumes to where this guy is coming from. He’s got this twisted fascination with tyrants.”
Tamposi said the violent rhetoric coming from some Trump supporters about jailing and shooting Clinton for treason is disturbing.
“It needs to be rejected, it’s not political discourse,” Tamposi said. “We are a civil society, we’re a society of laws, we’re a society of decency. That rhetoric has none of the decency.”
Former U.S. Sen. Gordon Humphrey made headlines when he departed the Republican National Convention early, vowing to switch his party affiliation to independent rather than be in the party of Trump.
Speaking on Thursday, Humphrey said he hasn’t yet made the leap, trying instead to lobby state party Chairwoman Jennifer Horn and committee members to drop their support of Trump.
The response he’s gotten is “total silence, no response in writing or in person,” Humphrey said.
He believes New Hampshire party officials who are supportive of Trump should resign.
“I think as a class, they have been so apologetic for Trump and accommodating to his outrageous statements that they are in fact being constituted as enablers,” Humphrey said.
Lenzi echoed Humphrey’s point.
His own dislike for Trump started early in the political season when the GOP frontrunner went after McCain’s military service, saying “I like people who weren’t captured.”
McCain has denounced some of Trump’s comments, but has continued to publicly support the nominee.
“I would obviously be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in McCain,” Lenzi said. “I know inside, he was seething. The fact he didn’t come out, of course, that’s politics.”
The tepid support Trump is getting from politicians like McCain and New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte is disappointing, Lenzi said.
It is a big factor in his decision whether or not to vote for Ayotte in November, something he’s still weighing.
“I’m disappointed in her legalese, dancing around Trump,” Lenzi said. “I haven’t made up my mind to vote against her.”
As for how he intends to vote on Nov. 8, Humphrey is waiting and watching.
“I intend to vote in whichever way is most effective in defeating Donald Trump,” he said. “If it is close, I will vote for Hillary Clinton.” If polls show Clinton with an easy win in New Hampshire, he plans to cast his ballot for Gary Johnson.
After a post-convention lag in the polls, recent weeks have seen Trump on message and posting better numbers. As of last week, a national CNN poll found him locked even with Clinton.
Lenzi’s predictions for Trump’s chances – and the chances of the Republican party overall – are much more bleak. He sees the presidency and the legislature going to the Democrats in 2016.
If a total loss occurs, Lenzi says it might be what the Republican party needs to get back on track, attracting minorities and growing their ranks.
“I’m a very optimistic person, so part of me says in terms of benefiting a party, this is like the farmer burning his field for total, complete renewal,” he said. “Hopefully after the field is burned, we can get back to what brought us here as a party.”
And he, Tamposi, Steiner and Humphrey are all urging more Republicans who share their views to say so.
“It’s one thing to be loyal, but there comes a time that you have to put your country before your party,” Lenzi said. “This is really where you have to do that and I don’t see a lot of Republicans doing that publicly.”
(This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Mark Lenzi was a civilian contractor who worked with the military in Iraq. Ella Nilsen can be reached at 369-3322, enilsen@cmonitor.com or on Twitter
@ella_nilsen.)