Washington (CNN) Former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake says a "sound defeat" of President Donald Trump in November's election would be better long term for the Republican Party, adding that he would be comfortable voting for a Democrat instead of his own party's standard bearer.

"I don't know anyone who thinks that this is the future of the party. This is a demographic cul-de-sac we're in, if nothing else. Anger and resentment only go so far; you have to have a governing philosophy," the Arizona conservative said.

"I don't know of any of my colleagues who really believe this is it. I just couldn't support [Donald Trump] long before he started to run. The birtherism thing was just too much for me. And then it piled on," he continued.

While he served in the Senate, Flake was one of the President's most vocal Republican critics, despite being a staunch conservative who almost always voted with the GOP majority. Rather than running what was likely to be a losing reelection battle, Flake opted to retire

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