Now, why would that not surprise me?? I put nothing past the traitorous GOPe.
Already happened in 1980 against Reagan. Anderson was a Republican congressman and Gerald Ford ally who got 6.6% of the vote as an independent for president in 1980.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Anderson
“He won some political support among Republicans, picking up a few important endorsements along the way that helped legitimize him in the race. Most importantly, he began to build support among media elites, who appreciated his articulateness, straightforward manner, moderate positions, and his refusal to walk down the conservative path that all of the other Republicans were traveling.[16]”
“Pollsters were finding that Anderson was much more popular across the country with all voters than he was in the Republican primary states. Without any campaigning, he was running at 22% nationally in a three-way race. With the support of one of the premier media strategists of the day, David Garth, Anderson decided to join the race.[24]”
“Most of Anderson’s original support came from Rockefeller Republicans, who were more liberal than Reagan, but it bled away. Many prominent intellectuals, including the author and activist Gore Vidal, All in the Family creator Norman Lear, and the editors of the liberal magazine The New Republic, also endorsed the Anderson campaign. He also had the support of many independents. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau’s Doonesbury ran several strips sympathetic to the Anderson campaign.[29][dead link]”