LAS VEGAS — For top Republicans who have labored to expand their party’s appeal among Hispanics — and can’t get elected without them — Donald Trump is becoming a big problem.
That was palpably evident Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the Republican presidential debate, when Gov. Brian Sandoval, who is neutral in the primary, and Sen. Dean Heller, who has endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, sat for a joint interview with the Washington Examiner at the Venetian hotel and casino along the Las Vegas strip.
The two senior Nevada Republicans represent an ethnically diverse state where, next year, Hispanics will likely comprise approximately 20 percent of all voters, possibly more. And seven weeks before first votes are cast in Iowa, with Trump holding as the undisputed national Republican front-runner, Sandoval and Heller have a warning for their party: Unmitigated electoral disaster looms in 2016, at least out West, if the celebrity businessman from New York wins the GOP presidential nomination.
Trump’s harsh rhetoric about Hispanics and other groups, along with his proposal to round up and deport illegal immigrants and possibly their citizen family members, could be a major drag on Republicans up and down the ballot, Sandoval and Heller said. The time for dismissing him as an anomaly who will fade away is long since past, they made clear. Part one of the half-hour interview with the two Nevada Republicans was edited for length and clarity.
Examiner: How worried are you about Trump?
Heller: My concern is, we’re digging a deep hole; we’re still digging. It does concern me. Obviously, the governor and I both want to see a Republican nominee — a Republican nominee that we can get behind and work hard for. That’s what we anticipate that we are going to be doing. But the latest [poll] numbers are fascinating, to say the least. I mean, you couldn’t have talked to me three or four months ago and said that Donald Trump would still be ahead at this point. It’s fascinating that he can say what he says and see his numbers actually click up, as obnoxious as some of those comments may be — whether it’s against the disability community, whether it’s against women, whether it’s against a particular race …
Examiner: Do you worry that Donald Trump is doing damage to the party and taking Nevada off the table in the presidential election?
Sandoval: I do worry about that, because there’s a big group in the middle here that hasn’t made its mind up. But of course, he’s said things and done things, that as the senator mentioned, that has pushed some very important communities away and frankly, have been offensive. I’m hopeful as things develop, that the trajectory of the primary, the polls will change. I’m really surprised that he’s been able to not only hold his position, but improve it in some ways. The goal here is to win the presidency and we, being the Republican Party, have to see that ultimate goal and we have to have a candidate who can win the general election.
Examiner: Are you disappointed in how the race has unfolded?
Heller: This thing has turned upside down, for many reasons. You were talking earlier about the progress we’ve made in Nevada with the Republican Party. Under the governor’s leadership, we took all constitutional officers last cycle; we took both houses of the legislature, the state Senate and the state assembly. It’s almost been 100 years since that occurred. And, my concern, and our concern, I think we share this, is we’re going throw this away if we don’t have the right nominee in there.
Examiner: Governor, as a Latino that has worked very hard to make the case for the Republican Party with Hispanic voters, how frustrating is Trump’s candidacy?
Sandoval: I’ll put it this way: I disagree with him and I have said that publicly. It is not good for the Hispanic community and they are not reacting well to it. In the conversations I’ve had with different members or leaders in the Hispanic community — again, it’s offensive… His comments are not helpful to the ultimate nominee and I think as this continues to evolve I think people are going to think about the things that he’s done and said with regard to [Hispanics.]
Examiner: How problematic could Trump be for Republicans running in other states?
Heller: Can you imagine if you are one of the 24 senators — well, those that are up for re-election, if you’re from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Illinois, Florida, trying to respond to every comment, if he were to be the nominee? I was on the ballot when [Todd] Akin and [Richard] Mourdock were on the ballot, and these two Senate candidates on the other side of the country — every time they’d say something, my numbers would get knocked down by five points. They were Senate candidates, can you imagine your nominee making these kinds of comments and having to respond to everything he says? Very, very, very difficult and I don’t know how you’d maneuver through that.
Examiner: Is it time for some of the Republican candidates to consider what’s best for the party, and the country, and drop out?
Heller: I would hope so. If it starts coming down to one or two choices — three choices, I think it’s going to be a lot easier for the American people to make a decision, at least the kind of decisions I’d like to see them make. The governor and I work hard moving the Republican Party forward in this state. We don’t want this thing upended. And I’m fearful, as I said: We’re digging deep right now, and we’re continuing to dig and hopefully we get out of this without offending too many groups or organizations before this is over.
Examiner: Will you support Trump in the general election if he wins the nomination?
Sandoval (laughing): We knew you were going to ask that question. That’s a big fat hypothetical.
Heller: The governor and I are Nevadans first, we’re Republicans second. Let’s be very, very clear. I will — and I’m not speaking on behalf of the governor — but I will support a Republican nominee, whoever it may be, some more enthusiastically than others.
Sandoval: I will support the Republican nominee as well. But there’s a lot of road to go here, a lot of wood to chop.
