HARRISBURG, Pa. — As the old saying has it, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? For now, that seems to be the philosophy of Sen. Pat Toomey concerning Donald Trump as they race toward November.
With just over three months left until election day, the two are engaged in a fight for their political futures, with Pennsylvania having turned into the epicenter (along with Ohio) of politics. Trump sees the state as a must have for his electoral chances, “ground zero” in his fight against Hillary Clinton. Toomey has gone out of his way to avoid the nominee at all costs.
Since Trump became the presumptive nominee, Toomey hasn’t attended any of the four events Trump held in the state. Most recently, he spent Monday at a police chief’s roundtable in Westmoreland County — far away from Trump as he rallied in front of almost 5,000 supporters in Central Pa. He was also absent from Trump’s event in Scranton last week and did not attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland the week prior.
“Pat Toomey needs to focus on his own campaign and do what he believes is best for his campaign and use his time, which is his most precious resource, in the ways that he thinks benefits his campaign the most,” said Charlie Gerow, a Harrisburg-based GOP strategist. “And that may at some point mean going to a Donald Trump rally, but sometimes it will mean not going to Donald Trump rallies.”
Despite keeping Trump at arm’s length, many state Republicans aren’t concerned with Toomey’s decision. They point to poll numbers and his need to to win voters in the political middle as opposed to those in his base, many of which are set to cast their votes for the incumbent Republican. One high-ranking Pennsylvania Republican told the Examiner that Toomey could appear with Trump later on in the race as he looks to shore up the base, if need be.
“I have 15 counties. Toomey has the whole state,” said Rep. Tom Marino, an ardent supporter of Trump, who also believes the GOP nominee is a “positive” force for Toomey. “There are moderate Republicans out there. There are soft Democrats that he has to make sure he gets his message across but not offend anybody, and that’s a little more difficult for him.”
Since Trump became the nominee, Toomey has not offered up a full-throated endorsement of the GOP standard-bearer, rather calling his campaign “highly problematic” in an op-ed back in May, adding that he “was not pleased” with the choices at the presidential level. Earlier Monday, Toomey once again broke with Trump, calling his recent comments about the parents of slain Army Capt. Humayun Khan “inappropriate” after his parents spoke out against the GOP nominee last week at the Democratic National Convention.
A key area for Toomey, as well as any politician running statewide, will be the “collar” counties that surround Philadelphia (Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery) — an area which could be Trump’s downfall due to his languishing support amongst college-educated whites. Since the dawn of exit polls, the GOP has never lost that group. Earlier Monday, Toomey won the endorsement of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who could potentially help with that group despite many Republicans holding him in low regard thanks to his anti-gun stance.
Some Trump supporters, however, want to see Toomey embrace the real estate mogul, who is on pace to (at least) cut into the GOP’s 2012 result, when Mitt Romney lost by 5.2 percent to President Obama (52-46.8 percent).
“I think if any of these people are doing it, it’s a mistake,” said Jeff Lord, a Donald Trump supporter and a Central Pa. native. “These are party leaders — senators, governors, etc., and I just feel that particularly Pat Toomey, who was, of course, more than willing to take on Arlen Specter, to suddenly assume a Specter-ish pose here is mystifying to me.”
At the moment, Toomey sits in a near tie with Katie McGinty, his Democratic challenger. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Toomey leads by less than a point (42.3-42 percent).
