Republican Senator Says He May Not Support Bush

Mon Sep 20, 7:56 PM ET

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a Republican moderate from Rhode Island, said on Monday he might not vote for President Bush in the Nov. 2 election.

Chafee stressed, however, that he has no plans to bolt his party, and that if he does not back Bush he will write in the name of another Republican.

His spokesman Stephen Hourahan said afterward that if Chafee does write in a name it would be that of Bush's father, former President Bush.

"I'll look at my options," Chafee said in a brief interview on Capitol Hill after discussing his indecision about the current president earlier in the day with reporters in his home state.

Asked if he might not vote for the president, Chafee said: "That's accurate." His office said this has been his position for months, though it has gotten little, if any, attention in Washington.

"There is no secret that on some very important issues I have difference with the current administration," Chafee said, listing abortion rights, the environment and war in Iraq.

"Like all Americans we are looking for some answers to key questions in the weeks ahead," Chafee said. "You wait until November 2 and make your choices."

On the other side of the aisle in the Senate, Democratic Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia has long backed Bush over his own party's nominee, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Chafee's comments on Monday drew mixed reaction from fellow senators.

"It's unfortunate," said Sen. Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican.

"He is a gutsy and principled guy," said Sen. Thomas Carper, a Delaware Democrat. "He marches to his own drummer."

"He is a good fiscal conservative," Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said with a chuckle.

"What I like about him is that he can be a Republican senator and at the same time say he is unsure about a Republican president," Graham said. "He is a breath of fresh air in politics."