WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Less than a month before the election, Sen. Pat Toomey finds himself stuck in the middle of a conflict between presidential nominee Donald Trump and national Republican leaders.
Toomey has never endorsed Trump, but the backlash against his 2005 lewd comments about women has many of the businessman’s most ardent supporters keeping score. On Monday, House Speaker Paul Ryan told the House Republican Conference that he will no longer defend the GOP nominee and will not campaign with him ahead of Nov. 8.
As Toomey battles for his own re-election, some Trump backers are angry with him over his non-endorsement.
“Those people, they weren’t worth having. If they gave him up over that, they weren’t worth having to begin with,” said Joseph Kveragas, a Dunmore, Pa. native, referring to the numerous Republicans who backed off of their support. “It’s just like this Toomey guy. Toomey won’t support him, so why should everybody else support Toomey?”
When pressed about who he plans to support in the Senate race, Kveragas, who considers himself a conservative, said he would probably vote for Toomey by default due to lack of optios. However, he made it known he was none too pleased with the incumbent Republican.
“No. I’m not a big supporter, and that’s going to be an interesting race because I see on both sides that there’s some problems there,” said Glenn Bopp, a Wilkes-Barre native and self-described moderate Republican who sported a Trump t-shirt at the rally.
Bopp, 60, explained that he’s “on the fence” regarding who to support, adding “I’m going to have to sit down and take a look at it.”
Earlier Tuesday, Toomey campaigned in Villanova, Pa. with Maine Sen. Susan Collins at a “Women for Toomey” event. Collins, who backed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the GOP primary and announced in early August that she will not support Trump. Collins, who has received blowback for her decision to buck her party, told the Washington Examiner she expects some Trump supporters to take out their frustrations on the likes of Toomey.
“I am sure there will be some, and I’m sure some of them will be unhappy,” Collins said. “But if they step back, they really want a Republican Senate regardless. I mean, they want one for Donald Trump because if Donald Trump has a Democratic Senate, that would be of concern to them. So I think they’re more pragmatic, even if they’re angry at people like me or people that haven’t endorsed our candidate.”
Collins also echoed Toomey’s claim that most voters will make “individual decisions” on the races up and down the ballot, pointing to her own success in Maine. Toomey’s campaign will be reliant on split-ticket voters to help put him over the hump in Novemeber.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Toomey reiterated that he will continue his opposition to Trump moving forward, saying that he “remains unpersuaded” by Trump, especially after the video emerged.
“The way I look at it is we have two terrible choices, and I think many Pennsylvanians view it this way,” Toomey said. “This is not, ultimately, a referendum on anyone. It’s a choice. It’s a bad choice, and I still remain unpersuaded.”
The Toomey campaign declined to comment further.
However, despite angering some Trump voters, influential Pennsylvania Republicans continue to stand behind Toomey — especially those who are fervant backers of the Republican presidential nominee.
“I talk to Pat Toomey, and he doesn’t want Hillary Clinton to be president. I know that,” said Rep. Lou Barletta, one of Trump’s top supporters on Capitol Hill. “Pat Toomey is running his own race, but I know he doesn’t want Hillary Clinton to be president.
“That’s his decision,” Barletta added when asked if he thinks he should support Trump. “He’s got to run his own race. I’m going to help Pat Toomey because we need to control the Senate.”
