Conor Lamb got my first donation to a Democrat in 50 years. It's time to stop Donald Trump. As a former Republican who is still a Reagan conservative, I believe we need more Conor Lamb moderates as an antidote to Donald Trump's poison.

Gordon Humphrey | Opinion contributor

Show Caption Hide Caption Lamb declares victory, Saccone not giving up Democrat Conor Lamb declared victory in the very close special Congressional election in Pennsylvania. Republican Rick Saccone is not giving up. AP has not called the race and some absentee ballots are still being counted. (March 14)

A week ago, an aspiring Donald Trump clone was beaten in a special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District. And I rejoiced.

Conor Lamb, a moderate Democrat and political newcomer, upset Rick Saccone, a four-term Republican state representative who proclaimed himself, “Trump before Trump was Trump.” The upset was even more significant because the president, his family and the vice president campaigned for Saccone.

Lamb, a refreshing, impressive young man, a major in the Marine Corps Reserve, won in a district where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by nearly 20 points. This could mean Lamb is the leading edge of an anti-Trump wave that could wash away many Republicans in November, if Democrats nominate moderates.

That would be healthy, given that Republicans in Congress — with few praiseworthy exceptions — increasingly kowtow to a president who is utterly without principle or decency, a demagogue who trades in the basest human emotions, whose chaotic persona and bizarre conduct strongly suggest a dangerously unhealthy mind.

More: Congress must protect Mueller against firing and pardons: Mark Warner

More: It's tempting to ignore the news to avoid Trump, but I hope you won't: Editor

Lamb, outspent two-to-one in an uphill race, was an inspiring underdog. He inspired me to contribute $2,700 to his campaign, the maximum permissible — my first dollar to a Democrat in 50 years. He inspired me to lobby an outside group supporting his candidacy to increase its ad buys, and to personally urge prominent Republican campaign strategists to promote Lamb as a means to begin the containment of Trump’s poisonous presidency.

As a former Republican who is still a Reagan conservative, I believe we need more Conor Lambs as an antidote to Trump's poison. This is no time to obsess over party labels. Electing candidates of either party who will stand up to Trump is the first step in restoring a normal, decent, civilized America. It’s the first step to making America great again, in the best sense of that expression.

The second step is to dump Trump in 2020. Many hope the president will be removed before then. But even if special counsel Robert Mueller survives the daily attacks by Trump and his staff and produces incontrovertible evidence of an impeachable offense, it’s doubtful enough Republicans would do their constitutional duty and support impeachment and conviction. Too many have drunk too much Trump-Aid.

Trump filed for re-election the day he was sworn in and is already campaigning and raising money. Barring impeachment or determination under the 25th Amendment that he is mentally impaired to the extent he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, Trump has a lock on the nomination. Retiring Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said last week that Trump deserves a primary challenge. That road might lead a challenger to sainthood, but it won’t lead to the White House.

Given the GOP’s fatal attraction to Trump and the likelihood the Democratic Party process will produce a candidate well left of center, 2020 could be the best opportunity ever for a well-known, widely respected figure to run for president as an independent. That’s a candidate who would appeal to independents, Democrats and Republicans fed up with the three-ring circuses that pass for party primaries.

A November 2017 Gallup poll of 13,885 adults found that 42% regard themselves as independents, while 29% identify as Democrats and 27% as Republicans. Of course, among independents there are leaners toward one party or the other. But people who are sufficiently disgusted with the two parties to shun party labels constitute a large plurality. Parallel figures for registered voters are hard to come by, because not all records are kept up to date.

This is not a call for another political party. An independent candidate need not be the nominee of a party; instead he or she may access each state’s ballot by securing a sufficient number of valid signatures. That task requires substantial organizing. Raising funds for a full-blown campaign is the harder part, and that takes even more time.

More: Donald Trump hired and fired Rex Tillerson for all the wrong reasons

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

So an independent campaign cannot be a last-minute affair, such as Evan McMullin’s gallant but doomed effort after Trump’s 2016 nomination. Waiting until 2019, when the president’s campaign will shift into overdrive, won’t work. Flake, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who will make the first, timely move?

Of course, there are other good men and women who should explore an independent run. One need not be a senator or governor. A noble character, a strong intellect, a thorough grasp of policy, good communications skills, the ability to work across political dividing lines, a winning personality, these are sterling qualifications. Bill Kristol, analyst, commentator and editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard is among the well-known people who fit that description.

Enough party rancor. We need a president independent of parties who will restore dignity to the White House, civility to public discourse and respect for constitutional principles and the rule of law; who can build a confident consensus around national purpose, give us back our self-respect and elevate America again to a high standing among great nations.

Gordon Humphrey served from 1979 to 1990 as a Republican senator from New Hampshire. He left the party and registered as an independent the day after Donald Trump was elected president.