Donald Trump

Bay Area's Sole GOP Lawmaker Denounces Trump

Assemblywoman Catharine Baker (R-San Ramon), the Bay Area's sole Republican state legislator, denounced Donald Trump on Saturday following the leak of an audiotape in which the presidential nominee used vulgar language to describe women.

Baker, who first denounced Trump earlier in the campaign, issued a statement reiterating that she would not be voting for the real-estate mogul and former reality TV-star.

"I took a stand early and publicly not to support Donald Trump, and it lost me supporters," the statement read. "The most recent revelations of his taped statements about women re-affirm my stance not to vote for Trump. As a mother and a woman I find his statements disgusting."

She continued: "A person has to be able to look their children in the eye when they say who they are voting for. I know I can."

The videotape showed Trump on a hot mic speaking about women with then-"Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush. Trump is recorded saying "when you're a star you can do anything" to women, including groping their genitalia. The Republican nominee has since apologized for his remarks, writing them off as "locker-room talk" in a statement and again during Sunday's debate. 

Baker, who is running against Democrat Cheryl Cook-Kallio in a heated race, joins the ranks of other Republican politicians who have vowed not to support the controversial nominee, including Arizona senator John McCain and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who Baker said she plans to write in on the ballot.

Although she remains resolute, other Bay Area politicians on the campaign trail have expressed no qualms about voting for the Republican nominee.

UC Berkeley student Claire Chiara, who is running against Democrat incumbent Tony Thurmond for the Assembly District 15 seat, still supports Trump and called the media attention on his statements "excessive." 

"What Trump said was cocky and offensive, but was no worse than what any man or woman has said in their own homes or to their own friends," she told NBC Bay Area. 

Chiara and Baker are two of many down-ballot politicians who may suffer as a result of GOP fracturing over Trump. Matt Shupe, the executive director at California Young Republican Federation, told NBC Bay Area that Contra Costa County Republicans are continuing to prioritize local elections, despite events unfolding on the national stage.

On Baker's Facebook page, East Bay resident Robert Temple thanked the assemblywoman for denouncing Trump, but wrote that he still couldn't stand with the GOP this election.

"I'm glad you do not currently support Trump," he wrote. "However, the fact that your fellow Republicans were too afraid or too quiet during his rise means that I will vote (Democrat) all the way down the ballot."

Gillian Edevane covers Contra Costa County for NBC Bay Area. Contact her at Gillian.Edevane@NBCUni.com.

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