Before U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler considers supporting her party’s presidential nominee, there’s one comment in particular she would like Donald Trump to clarify.
Recall that back in June, long before the real estate tycoon and reality TV star was believed to have a shot at being the GOP presidential pick, Trump announced he was running for president and added, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. … They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems (to) us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
For the Camas Republican, whose great-grandparents on her father’s side emigrated from Mexico, the rapist comment “didn’t sit well.”
Trump is now on a path to attempt to unite his party — he met last week with House Speaker Paul Ryan — but it’s unclear if his message of solidarity will resonate with Washington’s Republicans.
Susan Hutchison, the state Republican party chairwoman, noted that it was a particularly difficult primary, but she’s optimistic the GOP will join forces to defeat the Democratic candidate.
“Donald Trump has been running in a primary race; it’s been hard fought on everyone’s part,” Hutchison said. “And after primaries between party members, it takes a while for people to heal, and so now, Donald Trump is moving into general election season, and his focus will be on Hillary Clinton.”
In a state where electing Republicans to a statewide seat has proved challenging, Hutchison is not worried about any down-the-ballot repercussions for her party. Hutchison said she believes Republican voters realize Trump can “fix the country.”
“No. 1, he will take care of ISIS,” Hutchison said, using one acronym for the Islamic State group. “And No. 2, he will fix the economy.”
Chris Vance, the Republican challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, said he can’t support Trump. Herrera Beutler has more questions about the candidate, specifically regarding his previous support for the use of eminent domain to condemn private property and about his stance on universal health care. At one point, Herrera Beutler said she wasn’t sure if the right candidate was running for president.
“There’s a long time between now and November for Donald Trump to clarify where he stands on these issues, present a positive and inclusive vision for this country and unify the party,” Amy Pennington, the Congresswoman’s spokeswoman, said in a statement more recently.
Farther down the ballot, state Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, who is seeking re-election, wasn’t overly enthusiastic about Trump, but also didn’t think the divisive candidate would cause problems for local Republicans on the ballot.
“He wasn’t my top pick, but I guess sometimes we can’t pick them all,” said Harris, who had been rooting for John Kasich.
Harris said he could support Trump on several policy issues, including his tough position on immigration and boosting the economy by curbing the number of overseas jobs, but he’s not always supportive of the tactics Trump employs.
“I actually agree with him on a lot of issues,” Harris said. “What I really don’t like, for me, personally, is the approach to things and how he treats the individuals. It’s more the manner than the substance.”
Rep. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, said she’s not ready to back Trump fully.
“Ultimately, I’m not particularly satisfied with what appears to be our options. Ultimately, I’ll not make my decision until at least after the convention when it’s official,” Wilson said.
Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, is one of Trump’s local champions and is his state campaign chairman. Benton recently told another media outlet that Trump is the only candidate who can’t be bullied by the press or special interests.
Benton also said that Trump was “very strong with women, very strong with minorities.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll be the next president of the United States,” Benton told the Fox news affiliate in Seattle, KCPQ-TV.
