Yet few are worried that Trump could undermine the work the party has done since 2012 to improve its standing among Hispanics and other ethnic minorities. That’s due partly to the diversity of candidates vying for the Republican nomination, including Hispanic Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, an African-American; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, of Indian descent; a woman, Carly Fiorina; and one Caucasian, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who speaks fluent Spanish.

“With that strong group of candidates on the stage, I think people will feel confident that they have a president in their midst,” said Fred Malek, finance chairman for the Republican Governors Association and veteran GOP moneyman. “In some ways, I think the contrast can be helpful to some of our more mainstream candidates.”

But if some Republican operatives are convinced that the debates will minimize Trump and elevate most of the the rest of the field, others are anxious that the effect will be the exact opposite. Count the political advisors working on behalf of the Republican 2016 contenders, and veterans of the 2012 White House campaign, among those in the latter group…

“Trump needs to be confronted and we need to disassociate our party from his kind of rhetoric,” an alum of Romney’s campaign said.