In the midst of the Trump-Ryan summit, NRCC Chairman Greg Walden – the man charged with protecting vulnerable House Republicans in their reelection efforts – endorsed Donald Trump for president. Clearly, he has come to terms with a reality that he warned of months ago, that Trump’s rhetoric “puts, certainly, competitive seats in jeopardy” and that the NRCC Deputy Chair Stivers warned, “would be devastating to our attempts to grow our majority and would cost us seats.”
To his credit, at least Walden has accepted the reality of a Trump Ticket, and that there’s nothing he, or vulnerable House members can do to separate themselves. But the fact that he decided to release his endorsement in the midst of the Trump-Ryan meeting hoopla suggests that Walden is rightfully sheepish about having to get behind Trump after months of deriding the now-presumptive nominee’s impact on vulnerable House Republicans.
“Greg Walden tried everything to avoid this reality, warning repeatedly of Trump’s negative down-ballot impact on House races and even leaking polling that showed voters are less likely to vote for House Republicans if Trump’s at the top of the ticket. But no Republicans were able to stop Trump and now Greg Walden has accepted the painful truth that House Republicans are running on the same ticket as Donald Trump, like it or not,” said Meredith Kelly of the DCCC.
Background:
NRCC Chair Greg Walden: Trump Rhetoric “Puts, Certainly, Competitive Seats In Jeopardy.” “And House Republicans are expecting to lose roughly a dozen seats in 2016. Trump’s rhetoric, they fear, could cause those losses to grow substantially. ‘This is not what we’re about as a party, and this is not what we’re about as a country, and we cannot yield to this,’ Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is charged with electing Republicans to the House, said Tuesday. ‘It puts, certainly, competitive seats in jeopardy. We’ll have a much more difficult time.’” [Politico, 12/9/15]
NRCC Deputy Chair Stivers: Trump Would Be “Devastating” And “Would Cost Us Seats.” “Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), the NRCC’s deputy chairman in charge of helping reelect embattled GOP incumbents, was more blunt. ‘It would be devastating to our attempts to grow our majority and would cost us seats,’ Stivers said in an interview. Trump ‘would cost us seats. There are people that couldn’t win if he was our nominee.’” [Politico, 12/9/15]
Pollster Hired By NRCC Indicated Trump Nomination Would Damage Republicans’ Chances In Congressional Races. “Sackett’s presentation confirmed those worries. His poll showed that a plurality of respondents — 48 percent to 40 percent — would be less likely to vote for a Republican congressional candidate or incumbent if Trump were the nominee. The business mogul and former reality TV star, who has been leading in most GOP polls for months, was the only candidate surveyed on that question, the sources said.” [Politico, 1/13/16]
NRCC Chair Greg Walden Confirmed Trump Ticket Would Jeopardize Competitive House Seats. “Greg Walden, chairman of the committee in charge of keeping the GOP House majority, said at recent media events that a Trump ticket jeopardizes competitive congressional seats.” [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 3/11/16]