Republican former congresswoman Nan Hayworth found Hillary Clinton's debate performance disingenuous, and told CNBC on Monday she's voting for Donald Trump despite his boasts in a leaked 2005 video about groping women.
"Hillary Clinton sounded very rehearsed, very practiced, overly so," the New York Republican said on "Squawk Box." "I'm not voting my chromosomes," Hayworth added, addressing the video that's caused many Republican supporters of Trump to cry foul.
Trump apologized for the comments at the second debate, dismissing them as "locker room talk."
Hayworth, the former co-chairwoman of a super PAC for ex-GOP candidate Carly Fiorina, echoed a point Trump made during Sunday night's debate, saying that Clinton's promises to improve the state of the country were just words.
Also Monday, Democratic former congressman Harold Ford Jr. said Trump may have "steadied the ship," but there were many moments that reminded him of "the Donald Trump you don't want."
The ex-lawmaker from Tennessee said Trump and Clinton did well Sunday night, but he's not sure "the needle was moved in any way" away from Clinton.
Where Clinton articulated a vision, Trump portrayed himself as volatile, said Ford, now a managing director at Morgan Stanley.
The thought of Trump gaining access to the country's nuclear codes unsettled him: "That's where I have the greatest concerns around a Trump presidency."
Hayworth disagreed. "I have no fear about the nuclear codes." She added: "I do fear a smooth-talking politician," referring to Clinton.
The former New York congresswoman said it was a "viable strategy" for Republicans to band together and back Trump based on the "policy premises" that he articulated at the debate.