I used to hold my nose and vote for the anointed candidate. I won't anymore. What I will do is write in a name. I live in a predominantly Democrat region, and last election, nearly every Democrat candidate here ran unopposed. So I wrote in my vote for all the conservatives I could think of.
Wasted vote, some would say. But I fulfilled my promise to my Dad, while not voting for the handpicked candidate, And while others will grouse when they voted for the pre-selected candidate and he turned out to be a dud or worse, I can say I didn't vote for him. Clear conscience.
Better than a clear conscience -- your dad was wise. In the event the handpicked Republican candidate won and proceeded to act like a Democrat while in office, ushering in "fixed" Obamacare and carbon taxes and gay marriage these past four years, you wouldn't be here complaining when you got what you voted for. In California, I had to laugh at myself when I griped about getting more leftism from Schwarzenegger -- hell, I voted for him -- "against" Bustamonte. Complaining about getting what I knowingly voted for? Huh? What game is that? I woke up.
I will vote for a limited government Christian conservative. If he's not running as a Republican ... maybe so much the better if it's Cruz.
Independent voters aren't "middle of the road" voters. They are "other side of the road from the Uniparty" voters. You know -- folks who want less government?