Dozens of influential Republicans are reportedly urging GOP Chief to stop spending money on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and shift those contributions to Senate and House races in November.
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Those concerns are compelling enough that dozens of anxious Republicans gathered signatures Thursday for a letter urging the GOP chairman to stop helping Trump and focus on protecting vulnerable House and Senate candidates.
Republican senators and congressmen are so concerned that Donald Trump could undermine their chances of being re-elected, they are demanding that party money be diverted to their races from the presidential campaign. And yet Trump would like the Republican National Committee to devote its limited resources to funding a get-out-the-vote operation for him inHawaii. The billionaire businessman’s loyalists say enough time remains to change the dynamic against Democrat Hillary Clinton who, like Trump, is deeply unpopular with voters.
In particular, a moment at the September debate in California, in which Fiorina implored President Obama and Hillary Clinton to watch leaked videos that described controversial practices at Planned Parenthood, resonated with Republican voters and saw her briefly surge near the top of the pack in some polls.
Trump has spent most of his campaign time in real battleground states: Florida, Virginia, Iowa and Pennsylvania. “His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University”, Romney said in March.
In recent weeks, several leading Republicans have deserted Mr Trump over his outspoken attacks.
Fiorina, who was largely seen as an unlikely candidate for the GOP nomination when she announced her candidacy past year, surprised many commentators with a strong run.
Sit and wait: Some disaffected Republicans think their best option is to just denounce Mr Trump and hope for better luck next time.
The RNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“When people say you can’t support Trump but will support down-ballot it’s nearly like they are cleansing themselves, but that only gets you to be able to feel good about yourself but it doesn’t do your duty to make sure Trump isn’t elected”, Reyes said.
Speaking to a Louisville-area civic group in his home state, McConnell said Senate Republicans were going to be “on defense” in this year’s election, regardless of who led the ticket as the party’s presidential candidate. The senator added that when Trump “says something I have to speak up on, I will”.
“We’re in a battle for freedom”, Priebus said.
During the Republican primaries, Trump’s strategy to rely on “earned media” – the fact that he was a celebrity candidate who deluged the airwaves with interviews – worked.
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The letter takes aim at Trump for recent controversies, including his public spat with the parents of a fallen USA soldier, his suggestion that gun owners should take action if Hillary Clinton is elected, exposing his “total ignorance of basic foreign policy” and his reported interest in the pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons.
