“We need a change in this country, and I initially supported the proposed change (represented by) the Republican nominee, but I cannot continue to condone his comments and his treatment of people,” said House Minority Leader Don Turner on Tuesday. “I believe, deep down, that it’s the right thing to do.”
Turner said Trump’s lewd comments — which occurred in 2005 but were revealed by The Washington Post over the weekend — had upset him as a father of three daughters. He added that he also has a disabled sister-in-law and that Trump’s earlier mocking of a disabled New York Times reporter was also deeply offensive
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Scott Milne also said Saturday that he would not vote for Trump, after months of deflecting questions about the presidential race. After the Post released the Trump video Friday, Milne told Seven Days that the comments were “disgusting” but did not rule out supporting Trump.
Twenty minutes later, Milne called Seven Days back to announce he would not vote for Trump.
A number of high-profile state Republicans — including gubernatorial candidate Phil Scott and lieutenant governor candidate Randy Brock — denounced Trump’s campaign months ago.
However, the Vermont Republican Party, where Trump’s state chairman is the vice chair, has made no public statements about the Trump tape.
Vermont GOP Chairman David Sunderland did not respond to phone requests from multiple news outlets, including VTDigger. Sunderland has not returned a phone call or email from VTDigger’s political reporter since taking issue with a March story examining how legislators were responding to Trump’s ascendant campaign.
Trump won Vermont’s Republican primary with 19,974 votes, or 32 percent of ballots cast, raising the question of a backlash against the state party if it turned on Trump.
Individual legislators said they are feeling heat because of their condemnation of him.
In a recent Facebook post, Rep. Job Tate, R-Mendon, said Trump “is an absolute disgrace and a complete failure in the theaters of life that matter most.” While Tate has long been critical of Trump, his post elicited dozens of comments, including some from Trump supporters who faulted his break with the party.
“I understand I’m going to upset a lot of people, but I think the Vermont Republican Party and the Republican Party nationally has to draw a line in the sand,” Tate said Tuesday. “Our party needs to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ If Donald Trump wins it will gut our moral anchor as a party and a people.”
Turner, the House leader, said he has received a mixed reaction since he publicly came out against Trump.
“I know some of my base is upset with me, and I got some very upset emails from people that I have a lot of respect for,” Turner said. “But in recent days I’ve had way more emails saying they respect my decision.”
Rep. Patti Komline, of Dorset, who isn’t running for re-election, came out against Trump months ago and has called on her party to denounce him.
“I think it was pretty clear for most people that Donald Trump was a disgusting pig before this video came out,” said Komline. “But it’s better late than never.”
While national Republican leaders are worried Trump could be a drag on down-ballot candidates, Vermont may be somewhat isolated from that phenomenon.
Retired Middlebury College political science professor Eric Davis said that as long as Republicans can get their base to turn out and vote, Scott should be fine.
He added that even though Scott has denounced his party’s presidential nominee, many Vermont Trump supporters would still likely vote for the lieutenant governor in the race for the top job.
“In Rutland County and central Vermont I’ve seen a lot of lawns with both Scott and Trump signs,” Davis said. “The base Republicans have nowhere else to go in this race than Phil Scott. They obviously think he is better than (Democrat) Sue Minter.”
Darcie Johnston, Trump’s only paid staffer in Vermont, said she was not authorized by the campaign to speak to the press.
But Brady Toensing, Trump’s state chairman and vice chair of the Vermont GOP, said the recent harsh words from Vermont leaders won’t matter.
“These guys are local politicians — who cares?” Toensing said. “Why are they weighing in on the presidential race? Either an overinflated sense of self or a slow news cycle. It doesn’t matter.”
Toensing said the Vermont Trump apparatus was focused more on cultivating volunteers and sending them to the battleground state of New Hampshire, where polls show a close race.
Though he said Trump’s comments were indefensible, Toensing argued that the media are focusing too much on them. He said the recent WikiLeaks files on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are more newsworthy and show she is a two-faced career politician who is cozy with Wall Street.
“One story has to do with policy, and the other has to do with sex,” Toensing said. “And sex sells.”
