Donald Trump has refused to guarantee a peaceful transition of power, even if he loses the election, effectively setting a three alarm fire to the democratic process.

Republican governors of neighboring states have managed the moment with muscular, nonpartisan rebukes of Trump’s threat. Massachusetts’ Charlie Baker called Trump’s words “appalling and outrageous.” Vermont’s Phil Scott decried them as “dangerous rhetoric.”

Yet our Republican governor, Chris Sununu, met Trump’s refusal with the rhetorical vim and vigor of a shrug, calling it a “very inappropriate comment.” For his full comments see https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/09/24/gov-chris-sununu-donald-trump-transfer-of-power-comment/.

If during this crunch time for democracy Gov. Sununu needs to calibrate his words to balance his loyalty to Trump and the GOP with his desire to appear critical of Trump’s autocratic fulminations, then he has lost his way. Voters should demand that their governor energetically condemn Trump’s autocratic impulses and renounce loyalty to party over democratic principles. That’s why I’m voting for Dan Feltes.

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