There aren't a lot of vulnerable House Republicans these days, but there's a handful, and they're as in denial as their leader when it comes to running with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket this fall. So far, they've decided to pretend like he doesn't exist.
Vulnerable House Republicans are adopting a strategy for campaigning with Donald Trump as their nominee: Bury their heads in the sand and hope for the best.
POLITICO interviewed a half-dozen lawmakers in tough reelection races, ones who have perhaps the most to fear about Trump as their general election standard-bearer.
Disregard the racket in the presidential race and keep it local. Whether voters will do the same is another matter, but they're playing the hand they've been dealt.
Few of the Republican lawmakers were comfortable discussing Trump. Some wouldn't utter his name.
He's Voldemort, for now. They'll fall in line though. That's what Republicans do.
Senate leadership already is, with second-in-command John Cornyn (R-TX) already touting the benefits of a Trump candidacy to keeping a Republican majority in Congress. "I think about the people who will turn out, and I think what we've seen in these primaries is a lot of energy, a lot of participation by people who are not traditional Republican primary voters," says Cornyn. That will mean huge turnout for Republicans in the general, he says, ignoring the part about the new voters who will be turning out to vote against Trumpism.