[W]ith Donald Trump no longer facing competition for the Republican presidential nomination, Vermont politicians are weighing the benefits and drawbacks of full-throatedly endorsing the controversial candidate.
Leaders in the Vermont Democratic Party have been prepping for a Trump candidacy for months and will likely work to link every controversial Trumpism to Vermont Republicans as the election approaches.
“The Republican Party has all but officially nominated a man for president who has created a campaign out of fear and hatred,” said Vermont Democratic spokeswoman Christina Amestoy in a statement Wednesday. “… His blatant disregard for civil liberties, his promotion of violence, and his horrifying language directed at women and minorities cannot be taken lightly and must be stopped.”
Most Vermont Republicans initially backed other candidates for president, including nearly 30 leaders who endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in late February. After Rubio dropped out, many shifted allegiance to Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
But Kasich dropped out Wednesday, hours after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz suspended his campaign, leaving Trump the last man standing.
Unless there is organized maneuvering and changes in the rules at the Republican National Convention this summer, the billionaire businessman’s name will be at the top of the ticket in November.
Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and Bruce Lisman, the two Republican contenders for governor, offered contrasting reactions Wednesday to the idea of Trump as the party’s standard bearer.
Scott, who first backed Rubio, said Wednesday he would not vote for Trump — or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders — for president this season.
“I’m not going to tell Vermonters which presidential candidate to vote for, but as an individual voter, I want my vote to reflect my priorities for our country, and that may require a write-in vote,” Scott said.
The lieutenant governor added, “I will work with whoever the American people elect as president, Republican or Democrat, along with our congressional delegation, to make sure Vermont’s priorities are addressed in Washington.”
Lisman, who was supporting Kasich, did not rule out an endorsement of Trump. The former Wall Street executive said he would “carefully evaluate Donald Trump’s candidacy and listen to what he has to say” over the coming days.
“As a Republican candidate for governor I recognize the serious responsibility to support and unite the Vermont Republican Party so that we can bring about the important and necessary change Vermont needs,” he added.
House Minority Leader Don Turner, R-Milton, said the advice for his caucus on how to navigate state races amid a Trump candidacy is simple: “Stay focused on state issues.”
Turner said he hasn’t been paying much attention to national politics and thinks voters will be able to recognize the differences between Trump and Vermont Republicans.
The House leader was careful not to criticize Trump, who narrowly beat Kasich in a Vermont primary that saw high turnout.
“He brought out a lot of voters that hadn’t come out before, and I believe those voters will align with us,” Turner said. “From that perspective, I’m hopeful that it means we are going to have a great turnout if he is the nominee.”
While Turner was hopeful, he acknowledged potential problems with Trump as the image of the GOP. “We are going to continue to recruit to bring a better balance here in the Legislature and hope that the top of the ticket doesn’t hurt us in any manner going forward,” he said.
Rutland County Sen. Kevin Mullin, who recently bemoaned Trump’s candidacy in an interview with Vermont Public Radio, was not eager to talk about the businessman Wednesday. He said he had to get back to end-of-session Senate business but clarified he wasn’t going to vote for Trump. In the brief conversation, he didn’t volunteer a name that would get his support.
Sen. Peg Flory, also of Rutland County, said that with no alternative to Trump she wasn’t sure how she would vote in November.
“I have to think,” Flory said.
Rep. Kurt Wright, of Burlington, also said he had to think about his vote. He said he wished a more moderate Republican had emerged from the pack, adding that he had “serious issues with Trump.”
“It’s a sad choice we’ve come down to. Both parties have bad choices for the American people,” Wright said.
Rep. Job Tate, R-Mendon, said Trump’s disparaging comments about U.S. Sen. John McCain’s time as a prisoner of war were deeply disturbing.
“It’s going to take a lot for me to be unoffended by the things he said,” said Tate, a reservist in the U.S. Navy. “He hasn’t even apologized.”
Rep. Scott Beck, R-St. Johnsbury, criticized Trump as lacking foreign policy knowledge and said he wasn’t sure whom he would vote for in November. “Maybe there will be a third party candidate that looks a lot better,” Beck said. “But I don’t know who it will be.”
So far, the Trump campaign has hired one staffer in Vermont: veteran strategist Darcie Johnston, who will serve as his state director.
The state Republican delegate convention will take place May 21 in Burlington and feature remarks from John Tiegen, a member of the security team that responded to the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Questions about the attack, which occurred while Clinton was secretary of state, have dogged her run for president.
A total of 16 Republican delegates will be elected at the state gathering, and they must vote at the national convention according to the primary results. Eight must vote for Trump on the first ballot and eight for Kasich, as long as the Ohio governor does not release his delegates before the convention.
The Vermont Republican Party is finalizing its list of leaders running as delegates to attend the national convention, which includes Rep. Paul Dame, R-Essex Junction, Vermont GOP Vice Chair Brady Toensing and Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon.
If Trump cannot net 1,237 delegates on the first ballot of the national convention, a number of state delegates, including Vermont’s, would become unbound and could vote for the person of their choice on a second ballot.
Dame said he hopes to be elected as one of the Kasich delegates but fully expects Trump to become the party’s presidential nominee in the first round of voting.
Dame said he wouldn’t vote for Trump in November, adding he usually supports Libertarian presidential candidates.
“I’ve never voted for a Republican presidential nominee in my life,” Dame said. “And I’m not going to start with Donald Trump.”
