Vulnerable Republican Senate hopefuls are struggling to find the right tone about Donald Trump’s rise to the top of the party’s ticket, weighing how to appeal to moderates without casting aside their base.
They’re choosing their words carefully as Democrats begin trying to tie them to their party’s presumptive presidential nominee in the hopes that doing so will help flip Senate control.
{mosads}Here is what some of the most vulnerable GOP candidates in 10 close Senate contests have to say about Trump, whose candidacy is already affecting down-ballot races:
Illinois: Sen. Mark Kirk
Kirk, who is in a tight race with Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, told CNN on Friday that “Donald Trump is kind of a riverboat gamble,” arguing the boost in Republican voters in the Illinois GOP primary and Trump’s win there will be a “net benefit” for the party in the fall.
At the same time, he’s worked to keep at a distance from Trump, criticizing him and arguing that voters will be able to differentiate Kirk’s stances from Trump’s.
Wisconsin: Sen. Ron Johnson
Johnson spokesman Brian Reisinger said last week the senator will support the nominee. Like Kirk, Johnson seeks to separate his race from Trump’s.
“As Ron has repeatedly said for months, he intends to support the Republican nominee, but he’s focused on the concerns of Wisconsinites, not national political winds,” Reisinger said.
Johnson will face former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) in a rematch. Feingold lost to Johnson in 2010 by 5 points, but the GOP senator has an uphill fight in a state that voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012.
New Hampshire: Sen. Kelly Ayotte
Since Trump became the presumptive nominee, Ayotte has been hounded by questions about whether she’ll back the candidate, who overwhelmingly won her state’s GOP primary.
Spokeswoman Liz Johnson said in a statement that Ayotte plans to “support the nominee” but “isn’t planning to endorse anyone this cycle,” the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.
Ayotte has criticized Trump’s rhetoric, condemning him in February for not initially disavowing former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke’s support.
Ayotte has a primary challenge from the right, but if she advances as expected, she will square off against Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.
Florida: Open seat
Republican Marco Rubio’s open Senate seat created a turbulent primary race, and the crowded GOP field has yielded mixed responses to Trump.
GOP Rep. David Jolly, who called on Trump to drop out in December, wavered when asked last week whether he would back him, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
A campaign statement congratulated Trump on his Indiana primary victory last Tuesday, but when pressed by the newspaper, aides only provided a March 18 form letter in which Jolly said, “I am undecided whether I will be supporting Mr. Trump in November.”
Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera has expressed support for electing a Republican president in the hopes of defeating likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but his campaign statement did not specifically mention Trump.
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) also called for the party to unite to block Clinton, according to NPR.
The winner of the GOP nomination will face one of Reps. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) or Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who are locked in their own bitter primary. Both have tried to tie each other to Trump.
Nevada: Open seat
Aiming to turn Nevada’s other Senate seat over to Republicans with the retirement of Sen. Harry Reid (D), Rep. Joe Heck (R) is running in a state with a large Hispanic population and a presidential candidate who called Mexican immigrants rapists.
In a December interview with The Hill, Heck rejected Trump’s proposals to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall and ban Muslims from entering the country.
Last week, Heck spokesman Brian Baluta told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the congressman will back “the Republican nominee,” but did not address Trump by name.
Heck faces a primary challenge from 2010 GOP Senate nominee Sharron Angle, but he holds a 56-point lead. If he wins, he will face former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (D).
Ohio: Sen. Rob Portman
Portman, fighting for his seat against former Gov. Ted Strickland (D), said last week that Trump’s candidacy is a potential “positive” because so many voters came out during the Ohio GOP primary “to vote for Donald Trump who had never voted for a Republican before,” The Columbus Dispatch reported.
His campaign released statements promising to support the “Republican nominee” without naming Trump.
That, along with Portman having to fend off rumors that Trump could consider him for vice president, has played right into the hands of his Democratic opponent. Strickland’s camp has chided Portman at every turn for backing Trump in the hopes of tying the two together.
Polls are tight between the Ohioans, but Portman currently has a significant cash advantage.
Pennsylvania: Sen. Pat Toomey
Since Trump became the last man standing, the senator appears conflicted about supporting him in a state where polls show Trump closing in on Clinton.
In a Sunday op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer, he wrote: “Trump was not my first, second, or third choice. I object to much in his manner and his policies,” but that as “a Republican elected official, I am inclined to support the nominee of my party.”
He also floated the possibility of abandoning his support.
“There could come a point at which the differences are so great as to be irreconcilable.”
On Monday, Toomey addressed Trump on a local radio station: “My message to Donald Trump is: You need to unite the Republican Party if you want to win this general election. I hope to get to the point where I can enthusiastically support Donald Trump. I’m not there right now.”
Toomey will face off against former gubernatorial chief of staff Katie McGinty (D). He holds a huge cash advantage and currently beats her in polls.
Colorado: Sen. Michael Bennet (D)
Colorado is one of the GOP’s only targets this cycle, where Republicans believe Sen. Cory Gardner’s inroads with Hispanic voters helped him score a Senate upset in 2014.
All of the major GOP candidates said they’d back Trump as the nominee during an April primary debate.
Establishment favorite Jon Keyser said he’d support the nominee to defeat Clinton but that he’ll hold the president “accountable” regardless of party affiliation, according to a statement provided to The Hill.
Businessman Robert Blaha on Facebook called for the party to unite behind Trump and strongly praised the presumptive nominee as “a man of vision and courage.”
Two other GOP candidates, Darryl Glenn and Jack Graham, said they’d back Trump.
North Carolina: Sen. Richard Burr
It may be the “weirdest election cycle” Burr has ever seen, as he said, but he’s come down solidly in the pro-Trump camp.
He told state Republicans last week that “getting behind a candidate is absolutely essential” and that Trump is “Hillary’s worst nightmare,” according to The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C.
Burr faces former state Rep. Deborah Ross (D). While he leads in polls, he will have to overcome negative approval ratings.
Missouri: Sen. Roy Blunt
Blunt’s staff has signaled that he’ll support the Republican nominee, and he’s expected to attend the GOP leadership meeting with Trump on Thursday.
His spokesman told The Kansas City Star that Blunt would preach restraint and remind Trump of the party’s goal of defeating Clinton.
The GOP senator will go head-to-head with Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander in the Republican-leaning state.