CNN commenter Ana Navarro became a bit of a political celebrity during this election cycle—her on-air criticism of Donald Trump, combined with her unapologetic banter with loyal Trump commenter Scottie Hughes, have turned Navarro into an internet darling. The longtime Republican strategist has been one of the few conservative talking heads on cable news to fully denounce Trump’s candidacy, and she has done so in vibrant terms. After a 2005 recording caught the candidate bragging about “grabbing” women “by the pussy,” for instance, Navarro called Trump “disgusting” and refused to accept his half-hearted apologies about “locker room” talk.
Yet despite Navarro’s distaste for Trump and the ideologies he represents, as of October, Navarro wasn’t sure that she would cast her vote for Hillary Clinton. In an interview with the Daily Show, Navarro said she would likely write in her mother’s name, but left the door open for a Clinton vote. Navarro told Trevor Noah:
Unfortunately, I live in a swing state. I live in Florida. That means my vote might really matter. if Hillary Clinton is winning by six points, come election day, you know, ‘Mrs. Navarro’ is getting written in. If it’s fifty-fifty, I don’t know what I’m going to do, because I do know that my conscience does not allow me, it does not allow me, to allow Donald Trump—to not do every possible thing I can to make sure that misogynist, racist, bigot, jerk, entitled man is the next President of the United States.
Today, in an op-ed for CNN, Navarro confirmed that, with Florida still in play, she cast her vote for Clinton. She writes:
[…] I cast my vote for Hillary Clinton. Let me rephrase that. I cast my vote against Donald Trump. I did it without joy or enthusiasm. I did it out of civic duty and love for our country.
Navarro outlines a host of reasons that she voted against Trump, ranging from issues on immigration to gender, racial politics, and freedom of the press. Again, she writes:
I voted against Donald Trump because I am Hispanic. On June 16, 2015, the first day of his campaign, Trump called Mexicans “rapists.” I was not born in Mexico. I am not of Mexican descent. But I knew he was also talking about me.
[…]
I voted against Donald Trump because of Nykea Aldridge. She was Dwyane Wade’s cousin. She was shot in the head and killed while pushing her baby’s stroller down a Chicago street. Donald Trump sent out a tweet about her death for his political gain. “African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!,” it ended. No, Donald. Actually, every single poll shows they won’t.
To be clear, Navarro’s vote is not a ringing endorsement of Hillary Clinton. She notes her objections to Clinton’s lax security on her email server and the “bad judgment” of some of Clinton’s closest aides, including Bill Clinton and Huma Abedin. But as Navarro argues, her decision to vote against Trump and, by default, for Clinton, is likely a common one.
“One vote is our right. One vote is our weapon,” Navarro concludes. And in states like Florida, where recent polls show an incredibly tight race between Clinton and Trump, her one vote could be very meaningful.
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