Despite refusal to endorse Trump, Zeldin’s nightmare has become reality
With Trump’s primary victory last night in Indiana, and Ted Cruz’s withdrawal from the presidential race, Lee Zeldin now faces a nightmarish scenario this November: sharing the ticket with Donald Trump.
Zeldin has made no secret of his support for Donald Trump:
- When Trump made a swing through Washington to court lawmakers last fall, Zeldin “broadly praised Trump’s positioning on foreign policy.” According to the ABC News piece, Zeldin even embraced Trump’s reckless and dangerous rhetoric, noting that “Americans want candid, brutally honest, sometimes politically incorrect leadership.”
- In March, Zeldin proudly committed to supporting Trump as the eventual nominee.
Despite this praise, Zeldin refuses to endorse Trump – presumably because he fears the backlash from women (including Republican women), independents, millennials and moderates who all hold unfavorable views of Trump.
“Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee, Lee Zeldin should get the talking points ready for defending Trump and his dangerous views that insult women, trample on the Constitution and make America less safe,” said Bryan Lesswing at the DCCC. “No amount of distancing and side-stepping can change the fact that Zeldin is on the Trump ticket and his party has paved the way for his nomination.”
Background on Donald Trump’s Plunging Favorability:
National Support among Republicans: According to a recent NBC News poll, only 45% of Republican or Republican-leaning voters support Trump.
Women: A recent Gallup poll showed that Trump’s popularity is plunging to all-time lows, with 7 out of 10 women holding unfavorable views of him.
Republican Women: According to a Pew poll, only 38% of Republican women support Trump.
Men: In the same Gallup poll, nearly 6 out of 10 men hold unfavorable views toward Trump.
Millennials: Among millennials (people age 18-34), Trump’s unfavorable rating is nearly 78%, according to a recent CNN poll.
Independents: Among independents, Trump has a 68% unfavorability rating, according to a recent CNN poll.