While Republicans and veterans across the nation react with abhorrence to Donald Trump’s latest attacks on a Gold Star military family, Erik Paulsen has been playing coy with his support for Trump by hiding from the press and sending his staffers to do his dirty work for him.
Paulsen told WCCO back in May that he will vote for the nominee who comes out of the Republican convention. Then he recently had his staffer tell the Star Tribune that Donald Trump “has to earn his support.” Meanwhile, Paulsen himself has been laying low, avoiding parades and interviews and generally trying the head-in-the-sand approach:
“Paulsen’s campaign has not responded to repeated inquiries starting in mid-April about how Trump might affect the congressman’s re-election effort.” – Minnesota Public Radio, 7/20/2016
“Paulsen was unavailable for an interview.” – Star Tribune, 7/30/2016
Unfortunately for Erik Paulsen, his desperate escape attempts are too little, too late: Trump and Paulsen both want to restrict a woman’s right to choose, both oppose marriage equality, both support a platform that denies climate change even exists.
“Erik Paulsen still expects to vote for the nominee, and still won’t outright denounce Donald Trump the candidate. Minnesota voters see Paulsen’s weak evasiveness for what it is: a cowardly attempt to distance himself from Republicans’ toxic standard-bearer while not possessing the gumption to stand up to his party,” said Sacha Haworth of the DCCC.