At the first Republican debate, which seems like an eternity ago, Fox News anchor Bret Baier led off the debate by asking the candidates to raise their hand if they were “unwilling” to pledge their support behind the eventual Republican nominee. Donald Trump, as he always does, won the news cycle by being the only one on stage to raise his hand explaining that he would not support the nominee if he felt he was treated unfairly by the party. At this moment, party officials and Republican office holders became hostage to his bombastic and outlandish campaign.
Now party officials, conservative personalities and elected Republicans are facing a different dilemma: should they pledge to not support Trump if he becomes the nominee? Journalists have posed this question for months now but most Republican politicians have deflected in answering whether they would. Most believed that Trump’s egotistical and, at times, offensive personality would wane on votes and would cause him to lose his perch at the top of the polls.
But now a real possibility exists that Trump could become the nominee. He has proved popular with voters in a diverse set of states including Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts and Alabama by crushing his competition. His dominance in the primary process so far has granted him the lead in party delegates, which has party officials and Republican politicians spinning in circles trying to answer whether they would support him as the nominee.
Thankfully some conservative personalities and Republican politicians have come out and unequivocally stated they will not support him. Senator Ben Sasse, R-Neb., was the first Republican Senator to state that he will not support Trump, and writers at well-known conservative publications such as the Weekly Standard and National Review have also done the same. In Wisconsin, talk radio host Charlie Sykes and Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke have also joined the movement of refusing to support Trump as the nominee.
In one aspect it’s understandable why other Republicans have avoided getting behind the #NeverTrump movement. Coming out against Trump as a party official or elected office holder only fuels his claim that he is the “anti-establishment” candidate. They also did not want to denounce Trump’s numerous outrageous antics in fear that he would choose to run third party.
If Trump becomes the nominee, he will lose by a landslide and would incur lasting damage for the GOP brand. Show me a poll that has Trump beating Secretary Clinton in November, and I’ll show you an NFL scout who thinks Joel Stave is an elite quarterback. Trump currently has an unfavorability rating around 67 percent with the general electorate. His numbers with specific voting demographics are even worse. In an average of national polls, Trump has a net favorability rating of -42 percent among women, and more than three-quarters of Hispanics view him unfavorably. These numbers are astronomical and would be nearly impossible to improve upon in the general election.
Not only would Trump lose in November but his place at the top of the ticket would hurt Republicans across the country. In our own state, Senator Ron Johnson already faces an uphill battle against former Senator Russ Feingold and a Trump nomination would all but guarantee a Feingold victory. This trend would trickle down to other local races as well such as state Senate and Assembly races. Trump as the Republican nominee would force down-ballot Republicans to answer for every outlandish statement and action he will produce in the general election.
Republicans have made enormous gains with the electorate since 2008, which has produced majorities in both the House and the Senate as well as numerous state legislatures and governorships. The party cannot afford to nominate Trump who would no doubt ruin the Republican brand and negate these gains. More officials need to be willing to take a stand against Trump and his hatefully charged statements and actions. Thank you to the legislators and other prominent conservatives who have announced their unwillingness to support a Trump nomination, and I hope to see others do the same before it’s too late.
Charlie is a senior majoring in journalism and economics. Do you agree with him that Trump would hurt the GOP as a whole? Do you think he would stand a chance in the general presidential election if he receives the nomination? Let us know at opinion@dailycardinal.com
