By NBC News
Donald Trump's march to the Republican nomination has forced a
crisis in the party. Opposition to the billionaire front-runner began
boiling over in February when Trump's initial refusal to denounce former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke in an interview
led a growing list of GOP elected officials and top strategists to step
forward and declare their opposition to Trump's candidacy. On Twitter,
#NeverTrump became a way for party stalwarts to voice their
dissatisfaction.
But that was before Trump eliminated closest rival Ted Cruz, who dropped out of the race. Ohio Gov. John Kasich followed suit. Calls for unity within the fractured GOP began.
Some GOP lawmakers, like South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
and vulnerable New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte, have tried to walk a
fine line by saying they would support the party nominee without
offering an official endorsement, and in some cases, without mentioning
Trump by name. House Speaker Paul Ryan, after initially withholding an
endorsement, gave his support via an an op-ed.
Politicians supporting the Republican nominee
have had to grapple with how to address both Trump's more vexing policy
positions, such as his murky proposal to ban Muslims from traveling to
the United States, and personal attacks, like Trump's charge that
Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge presiding over a lawsuit
alleging fraud against Trump University, has an "absolute conflict" of
interest in the case due to Curiel's Mexican heritage. The Republican
Party devolved into all-out civil war in June as Trump defended his racially tinged criticism. One Republican, Sen. Mark Kirk, rescinded his endorsement. Ryan called Trump's comments "textbook" racism, yet reiterated his support.
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Source: NBC News
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