The GOP convention prompted this Utah state senator to exit the Republican Party

A Utah senator is leaving the GOP after seeing the direction his party is going at the RNC convention.

(Image credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

published 26 July 2016

For Utah state Sen. Mark Madsen (R), last week's Republican National Convention was the last straw. The Republican state senator announced Monday that, after witnessing firsthand the state of the party as a Utah delegate, he will no longer be a member of the Republican Party. Instead, he will become a Libertarian.

"Every decision and inclination I had before was reinforced," Madsen said of the convention's role in shaping his exit decision. As a support of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Madsen said he was particularly disappointed in the way the crowd reacted when Cruz refused to endorse Donald Trump and instead urged the party to vote its "conscience." "No party is entitled to my membership or my support," Madsen said, adding that the way things are headed for the GOP "makes me want to cry."

Madsen noted his change in alliance is "largely symbolic," however, as he is retiring at the end of the year.