Republicans jump ship as Trump’s anchor weighs heavy on party

WASHINGTON — Republican candidates facing increasingly dire prospects in the midterm election are starting to stiff-arm their unpopular standard-bearer, breaking with President Donald Trump as he threatens to drag down the party.

In Florida, Trump-endorsed Republican nominee for governor Byron Donalds wiped prominent mentions of the president from his website and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar is criticizing the administration’s aggressive deportation push.

In two key Senate races, Republican candidates Ashley Hinson in Iowa and Mike Rogers in Michigan are calling for an end to the Iran war. And in historically Republican Kansas, Sen. Roger Marshall is raising concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the state.

The growing GOP angst around running on Trump’s record comes as polls show most voters disapprove of the president and many of his core policies, including the U.S. war in Iran, sweeping tariffs on imports, and his hardline immigration crackdown.

Republican candidates have fallen behind Democrats in several key races that will decide control of Congress. Trump’s approval rating ‒ which sunk to a historic low of 32% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week ‒ is weighing on GOP candidates, who often are closely tied to the president and now face an electorate…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/