As if it couldn’t get any worse, the Republican party further split last night over the course of the CNN Republican Town Hall, as Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich all said that they may not support the ultimate Republican nominee, for the first time. To boot, Marco Rubio made clear this week that he will keep all the delegates that he won in his presidential bid, in an effort to stop Donald Trump.
While much is still unknown, two things are clear: the Republican party has zero chance of uniting after this primary, and both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz cause great harm to House Republicans. At the hands of Trump, all Republicans can expect to suffer amongst women, Latinos, millennials, independents and other key voting blocs. And ultra-conservative Cruz, according to NRCC polling, is even worse for down-ballot Republicans’ reelection prospects than Trump.
For House Republicans, these extreme, ideological candidates, combined with lack of unity and leadership from the Republican party as a whole, create a devastating 2016 environment. As noted in Bloomberg:
At best, the candidates’ remarks Tuesday highlight the sharp differences within the three intra-party coalitions represented by the trio of finalists—the nativist and nationalist faction represented by Trump, the ideologically conservative faction represented by Cruz, and the moderate faction represented by Kasich. At worst, they call into question whether the factions can continue to co-exist. If not, the 2016 election hopes for the Republican Party, which faces demographic disadvantages against the Democrats even if it’s united, in the 2016 election could be quashed.
“As the Republican party continues to fracture under the weight of Trump, vulnerable House Republicans will continue to suffer the consequences. Given Trump’s rock bottom approval ratings amongst women, Latinos and millennials, it’s understandable that the Republican party is scrambling to find another nominee. But, it is likely too late to rip away the nomination that the Republican base clearly intends for Trump, and sadly for House Republicans in competitive districts, their next option is the even more damaging Ted Cruz,” said Meredith Kelly of the DCCC.