“It is job of the party to do everything it can to keep Democrats from winning office, number one. Number two is to fulfill the will of the people who determine our nominees,” said Sean Spicer, a top official at the RNC who works closely with Trump headquarters. “What do they want us to do? Tell me what it is that they want. What is that alternative they are asking for?
“It doesn’t make sense,” Spicer added. “If you are turning out a voter to vote in Ohio and Pennsylvania you don’t turn him out just to do certain things. And frankly if you talk to [Sens. Pat] Toomey or [Kelly] Ayotte, they won’t win unless they get the Trump supporters. It is a non-logical argument.”
But at least one GOP official involved in Senate campaigns says the party screwed up by sticking with Trump. “We should have dumped him,” said this official, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely. “It’s too late now.”
The official described Senate candidates as being left in the lurch as the RNC focused on Trump triage. The never-ending stream of damaging Trump stories had forced them to keep contact with those vulnerable Senate candidates literally every hour, every day, on how to best navigate their races. And without sufficient funding help, they’ve been overwhelmed on the airwaves. In North Carolina, for example, Trump has spent roughly $3 million on TV ads compared to Clinton’s $20 million, said this official. This week, Clinton’s super PAC, Priorities USA, announced it may start spending specifically on Senate races, too.
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