Story highlights Meg Whitman has raised money for Chris Christie

She also ran as a Republican for governor of California

(CNN) Meg Whitman, a major GOP donor and former California gubernatorial candidate, said Tuesday she would support Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump, making her one of the highest-profile Republican defections.

"Donald Trump's demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character," Whitman said in a statement. "America needs the kind of stable and aspirational leadership Secretary Clinton can provide."

Whitman, the president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, also said in an interview with the New York Times she would use her considerable resources to make a contribution to the Clinton campaign and its allied super PACs.

Clinton herself asked Whitman for her support, the businesswoman told the Times, which was the first to report the endorsement.

Whitman's comments came as Trump has clashed with members of his own party over a protracted dispute with the family of a Muslim US soldier who was killed in action. They also came on a day that saw the first sitting Republican member of Congress express support for Clinton as well as the top adviser to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the former top aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

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