California Republicans sweat Trump effect
In the race for governor, just one of the three top GOP contenders admits voting for the president.
By CARLA MARINUCCI 07/09/2017 07:04 AM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO — Republicans running for governor in the Democratic stronghold of California face a myriad of challenges. One of the them is how to handle the issue of Donald Trump.
Travis Allen, an assemblyman who announced his bid this week to succeed Jerry Brown as the state’s next governor, argues that he’s already a standout — of the three leading Republicans in the race, he alone proudly admits voting for the president.
“There were 4.4 million Republicans in California who voted for Trump, and they are looking for real leadership in California," Allen told POLITICO this week as he tooled around the state’s highways on a campaign trip.
He says the reluctance of the leading GOP challengers — millionaire businessman John Cox and former Assemblyman David Hadley — to embrace Trump and his positions “may not sit very well with Republicans who are voting come June 2018.”
Yet at the same time, the deep animus toward Trump in California makes embracing him a difficult proposition for any candidate who hopes to win a general election. Together, it’s presenting a thorny situation for GOP candidates as the state’s marquee 2018 race ramps up.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/09/california-republicans-sweat-trump-240307