Donald Trump's candidacy has Americans switching party allegiances in lots of ways for lots of reasons.
There are Democrats voting in Republican primaries for Trump because they believe his victory will give their own party an advantage in the general election:
[M]any liberals and Democrats are pro-Trump because they think he's a weaker candidate in the general election than, say, Marco Rubio, and therefore his nomination makes it more likely that Hillary Clinton (or even Bernie Sanders) will be the 45th president of the United States. [Vox]
And there are Democrats voting against Trump because they believe the risk of him running — and maybe winning — in the general is just too great:
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[I]f I lived in any of the nine Super Tuesday states that allow non-Republicans to vote in their GOP presidential primary, I would cross over — forfeiting my chance to cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders — and vote for Rubio. Other liberals should do the same. Those who can should write him checks. Whatever it takes to stop the nomination of Donald Trump. [The Atlantic]
Meanwhile, some Democrats (and independents) are crossing over to vote for Trump because they actually support him. In fact, one poll found his strongest support within the GOP came from registered Democrats who identify as Republicans.
Then there are neo-conservative Republicans who are ready to bolt for Clinton if Trump is their party's nominee:
In interviews with POLITICO, leading neocons — people who promoted the Iraq War, detest Putin, and consider Israel's security non-negotiable — said Trump would be a disaster for U.S. foreign policy and vowed never to support him. So deep is their revulsion that several even say they could vote for Hillary Clinton over Trump in November. [Politico]
And finally, there are other anti-Trump Republicans who are looking for a third-party option in the event of a Trump nomination, because they are not willing to support either Democratic candidate.
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