title:  Republican Leaders And Activists Plan To Back Third-Party Candidate If Trump Is Nominated
text: Political contributor and conservative editor Erick Erickson, along with numerous Republican activists and leaders, are planning on rallying behind a third-party candidate should Donald Trump, the current GOP frontrunner, secure the nomination in July.Erickson, former editor of RedState, in a statement on his newest website The Resurgent titled  #UnelectableDonald Will Make America Blue Again,  said:As economic, defense, and faith conservatives, we oppose Donald Trump and will not vote for him in the coming general election. Our objective is two-fold: the election of a conservative president and averting the debacle of a Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders administration. To achieve these objectives, the candidacy of Donald Trump must be defeated.Slamming Trump over his  liberal  positions and his  authoritarian  approach, the group of leaders and activists pledged they would vote and, if they lose, carry on until the next fight:We will vote. Sitting out an election is not an option. The Republican Party has before it several candidates with the record and ability to serve as president with honor and distinction. In the coming months, we will devote ourselves to ensuring the nomination goes to a candidate who will strengthen our economy, national security and, above all, the conservative values on which all else depends. Should this effort fail, we will join with other faithful conservatives to find new candidates and institutions to carry on the fight for conservative principles and policies.This is he third meeting between Erikson and his band of plucky conservatives. In March, when the first meeting adjourned, the group called for the creation of Unity Ticket to thwart Trump, and as a second option opted for a third-party candidate should the Unity Ticket fail.Other members of Erickson s group, which totals about a dozen Republicans, includes columnist Quin Hillyer, George W. Bush adviser Bill Wichterman, and Mike Farris, a conservative activist and candidate for lieutenant governor in Virginia.Although Erickson s group is seemingly one of a kind, there have been numerous Republicans coming out to say they would refuse to vote for Trump, including Joe Scarborough (who at one point supported him), former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, Dana Losech,  Mel Martinez, Sen. Ben Sasse and others. Featured image via Flickr