The Republican civil war escalated Tuesday as Donald Trump trained his fire on down-ballot candidates of his own party.
The Republican nominee in a Twitter tirade pronounced himself free of the of responsibility for the GOP, tacitly encouraging his legions of loyal supporters to vote for him on Election Day but spurn the rest of the ticket.
Trump has periodically taken aim at individual Republicans since securing the nomination in May. This is the first time the celebrity businessman has targeted the party that is spending millions of dollars to elect him.
“It’s so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to,” Trump tweeted.
The Republican National Committee is running voter turnout and data analytics for the Trump campaign.
The massive undertaking that has continued uninterrupted in the midst of the leak of an 11-year-old video in which Trump brags that being a television star makes it acceptable to sexually assault women.
Republicans argue that Trump’s use of this critical infrastructure precludes him from undermining the down ticket — even if the sex-talk video continues to push Republican candidates and incumbents to withdraw their endorsements.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus is fielding complaints to rein Trump in. But down ticket Republicans, feeling adrift, aren’t expecting him to offer assistance; the chairman has become one of the nominee’s closest allies.
“Trump was never really on our team,” said a Republican strategist who advises congressional candidates and requested anonymity in order to speak candidly. “It’s too early to know exactly how much of an impact it will have down ballot, but nobody is ignoring the fact that he could take everybody down with him.”
An RNC spokesman did not answer an email requesting comment.
Trump’s Tuesday tweet storm came in the wake of losing the endorsement of several prominent elected Republicans after the Washington Post on Friday first reported on the sex-talk video.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who yanked his endorsement, and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who also is allied with Priebus, said he wouldn’t campaign with Trump and told fellow House Republicans they were free to cut the nominee loose, were among Trump’s targets.
Clinton’s lead, modest but durable before the video tape, hit double-digits over the weekend as news of the video sunk in with voters. It shrank slightly — to a high 9 percentage points, as GOP voters climbed back aboard after Trump delivered a solid performance in Sunday evening’s second presidential debate.
Days later, Republicans are still fuming over the video and, in their view, Trump’s inadequate apology. They’re convinced that more damaging revelations about Trump are forthcoming and are worried that he could drag them down with him.
“Trump is just living in an alternative reality that has nothing to do with how to grow your vote share from 18 million or so primary voters to 65 million general election voters,” Republican strategist Stuart Stevens said.
Stevens, who opposes Trump, was the chief strategist for 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
In competitive House and Senate races, Republicans are caught between Trump’s loyal base and moderates Republicans and swing voters. They need both to win on Nov. 8.
The RNC ground game is hustling votes for them and Trump, something the national party committee is legally obligated to do, so that hasn’t changed.
But anxiety that Trump might blow up GOP and urge his base outright to vote for him but spurn the down ticket, is running high. Indeed, that’s the message many Trump loyalists took from his Tuesday morning tweets.
“It’s just like this Toomey guy. Toomey won’t support him, so why should everybody else support Toomey?” Pennsylvania GOP voter Joseph Kveragas said in an interview with the Washington Examiner’s Al Weaver.
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., locked in a tight re-election bid in a state where Clinton was leading, has refused to endorse Trump or even commit to voting for him. As Kveragas noted, Toomey’s position could cost him votes.
Barring Trump recovering in the polls or Clinton imploding, congressional Republicans are preparing to permanently distance themselves from their nominee.
Their message is ready to go: vote for a Republican Congress as a check on Clinton, who has popularity problems of her own. Ryan next week is heading out on a final three-week fundraising and campaign blitz for House and Senate Republicans.
The speaker is scheduled to visit 17 states, 42 cities, and headline over 60 events. Follow Ryan’s lead and focus on the fundamentals, urge some Republican insiders, and Trump won’t be a problem.
“Not surprised that he attacks the ‘establishment.’ Good candidates can still get the conservative vote,” veteran Republican operative Charlie Black said. “They will not vote for Democrats. Just have to make sure you appeal directly to them.”
