After backing failed candidate Jeb Bush, New York Congressman Tom Reed is now endorsing Donald Trump for president.
The endorsement comes at a curious time, following reports that Trump’s New York surrogate, failed gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, was “bullying” New York House Republicans into backing Trump.
“Now that Tom Reed is backing Donald Trump, he will have to spend the rest of the election year defending Trump’s bombastic rhetoric that divides our country, incites violence, tramples on the Constitution and Republican national security experts warn would make America less safe,” said Bryan Lesswing at the DCCC.
“It’s no surprise that Tom Reed has given his full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump and his dangerous views that make America less safe, as Reed himself recklessly threatened our national security when he voted to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. Given their shared records, New Yorkers should have doubts about whether Donald Trump and Tom Reed can keep our country safe.”
Trump at the top of the ticket is bad news for vulnerable Republicans like Reed.
Recent internal polling conducted by the DCCC showed that “nearly 60 percent of likely voters in key congressional districts have ‘fairly major’ or ‘very major’ doubts about GOP House candidates connected to the national security views of Republican front-runner Donald Trump or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.”
Recent House GOP polling indicates 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.”