I honestly haven’t seen many arguments in voting for Donald Trump that don’t compare him to Hillary Clinton. This is because so many people are convinced that these two are the only options. Under a simple two-party system, this logic makes sense: a vote for Donald Trump is a vote against Hillary Clinton. However, the world we live in is far more complex, and this election is testing the usual rules on this situation. There are so many disenchanted Republicans this election that they are finding other candidates to give their vote, putting the Republican Party in an incredibly difficult spot. Donald Trump has no chance of winning this election at this point unless he changes drastically, something he has already proven he is unlikely to do. If the Republicans don’t find another option, they will go down with him.

Polling numbers are powerful, and they are not looking good for the Republicans. Donald Trump has only beaten Hillary Clinton in polls (on average) for two days, and those were in the aftermath of the Republican National Convention, a time that always creates a boost in polling numbers. Even so, Trump was only beating Clinton by 1.2 points. Clinton’s numbers are much larger— and much more consistent. Before the conventions, she was beating Trump by around 4 points. Now, in the Democrat’s post-convention rise, he is being beaten by an average of 6.6 points (as of August 4). Even when this regulates, Clinton will likely stay on top, particularly if Trump continues to alienate voters.

Recent events show that more people are turning on Donald Trump, and he does not seem to be making any effort to change that. Many voters were supporting him simply by party alignment, but he is not respecting the Republican party as well as they would like. His focus on social issues is troubling to many people, and he has been called out as being anti-capitalist. This is unappealing to many Republicans, and he is taking it even farther by openly disrespecting members of the Republican-elite. He has refused to endorse Senators McCain and Ryan, which has caused many to wonder how invested he truly is in the Party. A former campaign worker of his came out in a letter to his supporters this past March, and it has not gotten much real attention until recently. But I bring it back to show that someone who was caught up in Trump-fever has already turned on him, and she has said what I am trying to tell you: “He is not your voice. He is only Trump's voice.”

In the aftermath of his conflict with the Khan family, he has lost a lot of support from servicemen, their families and their supporters. Now, he has proven that insulting them is not as far as he plans to go in disrespecting those who have defended our country. In response to receiving a copy of a supporter’s Purple Heart, he said, “I’ve always wanted to get the real Purple Heart. This was much easier.” This statement reeks of entitlement, and shows an utter disregard as to what this honor represents. It is only given to those who have gotten an injury in fighting for their country. Receiving one is not a pleasant occasion, and it represents sacrifice— something that Donald Trump clearly does not understand.

Trump has also continued to anger women, a demographic he was already unpopular with. Polls are showing that Clinton is claiming the female vote by up to 23%, and has been leading Trump for quite some time. This will only grow after the events of this past week. In response to allegations of sexual harassment within Fox News, Trump and his son have chosen to minimize the situation. Donald Trump claimed that a woman in this circumstance should “find another career or find another company”, as though it should be the woman who is risking her fate because a man has harassed her. This ignores the actual problem, and puts the consequences on the woman for having been mistreated. There was a harsh backlash after these comments, and it was made worse by his son Eric saying that Ivanka would never “allow herself to be subjected to that”. Again, this response focuses more on a woman’s reaction than in preventing or punishing the one who put them in that situation. It is demeaning to any woman who has been in this situation, because it says that they were either too weak to stop it or, even worse, did not want to stop it.

In the aftermath of these and other incidents, many Republicans are turning on Donald Trump. Previously, those who disagreed with him had chosen to simply stay silent where he was concerned, but many are now openly turning against him. Republican identification is associated with supporting whatever insane things come out of his mouth, and there are now many who will do whatever it takes to get away from that connection. Some have gone so far as to publicly announce that they will be voting for Hillary Clinton, which is seen as a complete betrayal of ideals within the Party. Party members would like to believe that this is negligible and hurts these individuals the most, but the numbers are adding up. If this continues, the Republicans will have no chance at the presidency, and Hillary Clinton will win by default. There is no changing the Republican nomination now, but Republicans can choose to actively put their vote elsewhere.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is on the ballot in all 50 states and is fiscally conservative, which had been a major focus in the pre-Trump Republican platform. Republicans want a way out, and there it is. To avoid Hillary Clinton, they cannot throw their support to a man who is so adamantly hated. They must put their support behind someone who has a better reputation, and Gary Johnson is the best option for them this election. He still has a chance at the election this year, and it is the only way that the Republicans can hope to rival Clinton.

President Barack Obama openly denounced Donald Trump on Tuesday, calling him unfit for the presidency and making an appeal to Republicans to not vote for Trump: “There has to be a point at which you say, 'This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party.' " Party affiliation only means so much, and people are finally starting to understand that. This goes beyond partisan politics to the simple fact that Donald Trump is not good for this country. It is time for the Republicans to find someone better to endorse; if it is not in a big push towards a third-party candidate, it will be in a slow trickle to Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump is going to kill the Republican Party if nothing is done to stop him, and, at this point, that something is backing someone else. Gary Johnson is now the only way to stop Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump just isn’t going to do it.

For more information on Gary Johnson:

Check out his website: http://www.johnsonweld.com

Check out his Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwd5DpsBdHQ203lTjpDc_fw