This GOP senator is the first to say he won't vote for Donald Trump in November

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), not voting for Donald Trump — (Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Image)

On Sunday, Donald Trump got his first endorsement from a sitting U.S. senator, Jeff Sessions (Ala.), in a blow to GOP presidential rival Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) — but he also received his first un-endorsement, when Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse (R) said on Twitter he won't support Donald Trump (or Hillary Clinton).

The tweet was the first in a Twitter "open letter to my friends supporting Donald Trump," and in follow-up tweets he explained why he won't back the probable nominee of his political party, starting with whom he would support: "My expectation is that I'll look for some 3rd candidate — a conservative option, a Constitutionalist." He accused Trump of not supporting the First Amendment ("threats vs religious liberty") and said "a presidential candidate who boasts of what he'll do during his 'reign' & refuses to condemn the KKK cannot lead the conservative movement." Then Twitter responded, and Sasse felt compelled to say he's a conservative, not a "career politician," wants to make America great again, is "not part of the Establishment," and "is not for open borders." You can read Sasse's "open letter," interrupted by an Oscars complaint, at Twitter.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.