U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign Voter Registration Rally at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, United States September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Republican U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen on Wednesday said he will likely vote for U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election, citing her experience as secretary of state and former first lady.

“In all likelihood, I would say yes,” Cohen who served as defense secretary under former U.S. President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, told MSNBC in an interview when asked if she had earned his vote. “I would not feel comfortable,” with Donald Trump, Clinton’s Republican rival and a political novice, having access to the nation’s nuclear codes, Cohen said.

“I’d feel more comfortable with Hillary Clinton, certainly,” Cohen told MSNBC.