GOP frets over Donald Trump’s down-ballot impact
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — Here in the Pennsylvania suburbs, a political shift is underway: Republican leaders worried about Donald Trump’s presence atop the ticket are focusing as much of their attention on state races as they are on their presidential nominee’s fate in a crucial swing-state battleground.
With Trump trailing in the polls, the question of the hour is what effect his lack of support might have on other GOP candidates on the ballot. Polls show incumbent Senator Pat Toomey clinging to a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Katie McGinty in the country’s most expensive Senate race.
“If disgruntled conservatives stay home, Toomey is going to be in a lot of trouble,” said Katherine Rauch, a reluctant Trump supporter who is president of the Montgomery County Council of Republican Women.
The dynamics in Pennsylvania are playing out across the country, as local officials scramble for ways to uphold the Republican ticket while distancing themselves from the increasingly imperiled Trump. Toomey’s predicament is echoed in New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Florida, among other states.
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