Former Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) on Thursday slammed the Republican National Convention in explaining why he is supporting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Democratic super PAC to hit Trump in battleground states over coronavirus deaths Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE for president over Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE.

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"The Republicans had a very dark convention. It was almost like a lynching, you know — guilty and lock her up. And I thought this isn't the party of Ronald Reagan and it ain't the party that I joined," Shays, who supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the primary, said on CNN's "New Day."

"And then I watched the Democratic convention and Hillary did all the things that reminded me why I liked her. I worked with her on the 9/11 sicknesses of these incredible people who were cleaning up the debris and trying to save lives."

The former Connecticut congressman praised Clinton for her willingness to work with House Republicans and Democrats and for being "solution-oriented."

"The biggest problem we have in this country right now is our government is not working," he said.

"And our founding fathers formed the Constitution to help a diverse group of people find common ground. She'll do that."

Shays also said he thinks a lot of other Republicans know Trump is not qualified for the presidency. He continued to criticize the GOP nominee, calling him "dangerous" and "ignorant of the world."

"He's casual about nuclear weapons, about our adversaries. He's giving our allies the impression that we may not be there for them," he said.

"Words matter, particularly for a president and for, like, the head of the Federal Reserve. If they cough, the market goes up or down. And he doesn’t have a principle that heads him a good direction."

Shays is part of a growing group of Republicans who have said they don't plan to support their party's nominee and have instead announced they would back Clinton or a third-party candidate.