As Donald Trump’s clash with the Republican establishment deepens, Gov. Nathan Deal and other Georgia GOP leaders who endorsed the billionaire’s rivals or stayed out of the race entirely have begun a cautious tiptoe toward their party’s presumptive nominee.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey of top state elected officials found that the party’s elite had coalesced behind Trump, though some were more enthusiastic than others. Several said simply that they’ll support the nominee whoever it is, and some expressed concerns about the real estate tycoon’s ability to unite the fractured party.
“Mr. Trump has some work to do,” said state House Speaker David Ralston, who endorsed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie early in the campaign and said he’ll now back Trump. “The nominee of the party is not just to be embraced, but he is to embrace. His or her job is to reach out and convince Republicans. A lot rests on the shoulders of our presumptive nominee.”
The closing of the ranks behind the candidate represents a tricky balancing act for Georgia’s top Republicans, who are nervous that Trump could do lasting damage to the party but also fearful of giving a Democratic presidential candidate an opening to win the state for the first time since 1992. They also recognize that openly bucking Trump, who won Georgia’s crowded primary with nearly 40 percent of the vote, could be politically perilous.
And yet the gravitational pull toward Trump comes amid rising concerns from many of the party’s grass-roots operatives — the volunteers who work phone banks and knock on doors — who warn they can’t support Trump even if it means handing a victory to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
“Many conservatives are in an impossible position as they can neither support Trump nor Clinton,” said Seth Millican, a Georgia conservative strategist. “Over the next six months, you’ll see two struggles — one for the presidency, the second between ideological populists and principled, idea-driven conservatives over the soul of the GOP.”
An unceasing battle
With the nomination in hand after a seismic victory last week in Indiana, Trump’s feud with the party elite is still simmering.
Four of the past five GOP presidential nominees plan to skip the Republican convention in Cleveland, and several of Trump’s former rivals — including Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio — have also refrained from backing him. Many of the party’s top donors have refused to back him, instead focusing on down-ticket races.
And then there’s the extraordinary announcement by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who said last week that he’s “not ready” to support Trump. Ryan and other GOP leaders will meet with Trump in Washington on Thursday, though both sides downplay hopes for a breakthrough.
Clinton, still locked in her own primary battle, has already started trying to woo Republicans turned off by Trump’s high negative ratings and divisive rhetoric. And Georgia Democrats aim to inextricably link state leaders to Trump in hopes of damaging U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is heavily favored to win a third term, and making other down-ticket gains.
“Donald Trump may be the most dangerous presidential candidate of our lifetime, and the ruling class of the Georgia GOP seems perfectly fine with the impending chaos of a potential — yet improbable — Trump presidency,” said DuBose Porter, the party’s chairman.
An ‘Obama-like’ Clinton
Georgia Republicans have responded by praising Trump’s ability to draw in newcomers — and shifting the focus toward Clinton, who remains one of the most divisive figures in state politics.
A January poll conducted for the AJC found that a majority of Georgians — some 53 percent — gave her an unfavorable rating. About two-thirds of independent voters have negative feelings about her — along with 92 percent of Republicans.
“Our country cannot afford another Obama-like administration,” Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said. “I think it’s important that our party unites behind the Republican candidate, and Mr. Trump has ignited a diverse and loyal group of supporters unlike anything we have seen in recent presidential elections.”
Other state leaders, including Attorney General Sam Olens, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Isakson and U.S. Sen. David Perdue, also said they would support Trump at the top of the ticket. So did Georgia GOP Chairman John Padgett, who vowed the party would do “everything in our power to protect our U.S. Senate seat and win back the White House this fall.”
Isakson, who has drawn a well-financed Democratic opponent, told reporters peppering him with questions Tuesday on Capitol Hill that he needed to catch laryngitis to avoid another round of queries about the billionaire.
“I’m supporting the ticket,” he said repeatedly when asked about how forcefully he’ll back Trump.
One of the more careful recalibrations came from Deal, who as governor is the titular head of the state party. Deal cast an early ballot for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who had dropped out of the race by the time Georgia held its March 1 primary, and the governor was largely tight-lipped about Trump until he emerged as the party’s presumptive pick.
In an interview this week, though, Deal said he was disappointed by the criticism of Trump by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain, past GOP standard-bearers who had to overcome their own concerns from conservative activists. It’s time for Trump’s staunchest critics to give him a second look, Deal added.
“Do I think that he will modify his positions or maybe explain them more completely? Yes, I think he will,” Deal said. “I’m hopeful that the leaders in positions of responsibility in our country will give him the opportunity to do that and to enlighten him when they think he’s misinformed. And I think he’s going to be willing to listen.”
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