GOP Candidates Ponder Trump Alignment  08/28 06:28

   Texas Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz's website used to 
align him with President Donald Trump. Not anymore.

   NEW YORK (AP) -- "AIR FORCE VETERAN. SMALL BUSINESSMAN. TRUMP CONSERVATIVE."

   The all-caps headline on Texas Republican congressional candidate Carlos De 
La Cruz's website used to align him with President Donald Trump. Not anymore.

   "NATIVE TEXAN. AIR FORCE VETERAN. SMALL BUSINESSMAN. PROVEN CONSERVATIVE," 
it reads now.

   De La Cruz's campaign rejected any suggestion he was backing away from the 
president, whose knack for mobilizing his loyalists remains critical for 
Republicans in this fall's midterm elections. The overwhelming majority of 
Republicans on the ballot this fall are embracing Trump despite his dismal 
approval ratings, an unpopular war with Iran and lingering inflation.

   However, as the two-month sprint to Election Day begins, a small collection 
of Republican candidates have quietly begun to distance themselves in subtle 
ways from Trump now that they've won contested primaries in which his 
endorsement was often the most coveted prize. The shift is easy to miss, often 
only a few words or new pictures. And Republicans insist there is no shift at 
all.

   Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional 
Committee, called it a "manufactured storyline."

   "President Trump and House Republicans have delivered historic results for 
the American people, and our candidates are eager to take that record directly 
to voters alongside the President on the campaign trail," he said.

   But from California to Texas and Kentucky to Alaska, candidates in recent 
weeks have tweaked their campaign messaging to downplay their connection to 
Trump. A handful of others have highlighted their opposition to his policies.

   It's an extremely delicate balance for vulnerable Republican candidates, who 
must expand their appeal beyond Trump's MAGA base to win in the general 
election this fall, but are also afraid to trigger a backlash from Trump or his 
hard core supporters if they create too much distance.

   Trump's unpopularity could weigh down his party

   Most candidates are still wrapping their arms around Trump.

   Republican allies of the president argue there is little upside for 
candidates to turn away from Trump, despite his weak polling numbers. Democrats 
will try to cast every Republican running as a Trump acolyte, regardless of 
their actual stances, they said, and midterm successes typically depend on 
turning out base voters. Trump remains the Republican Party's best motivator.

   "The whole Republican brand is that we're aligned with Trump so you gain 
nothing from it," said Jason Roe, a Republican who advises Rep. Tom Barrett, 
who is fighting for reelection in a competitive mid-Michigan district race.

   It is typical for candidates from both sides to tweak their messages after 
primary elections. Some Democrats, for example, have begun pitching themselves 
as moderates after highlighting endorsements from progressives like Sen. Bernie 
Sanders during their primaries.

   Still, the slight shift among at least a half-dozen Republican congressional 
candidates could signal the beginning of a more significant move within the 
party as the weight of Trump's unpopularity with the general public comes into 
view at a critical moment. Just 33% of adults approve of Trump's job 
performance, according to Associated Press-NORC polling from July. And Trump 
gets relatively poor ratings on his handling of the economy, immigration and 
foreign policy.

   Meanwhile, Trump will not make it easy for vulnerable Republicans to avoid 
him. As voters typically begin paying much closer attention to politics after 
Labor Day, the president will headline a two-day Republican convention in 
Dallas as he urges voters to act as if he were on the ballot.

   "The problem that we have is they say that Trump does great when he's on the 
ballot, but when he's not on the ballot, his people don't come," Trump said as 
he recently stumped in South Carolina.

   "So what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the 
ballot," he went on. "Just say that I'm on the ballot one more time."

   Shifting emphasis moving into the general election

   A number of Republicans have removed or downplayed references to Trump from 
their websites after winning their primaries.

   Eric Flores, a former assistant U.S. Attorney and Texas Army National Guard 
infantry captain running against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. in South 
Texas, once featured "SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S AGENDA" as No. 2 in his list of 
priorities on his campaign homepage.

   That item has now been replaced with " LOWER THE COST OF LIVING," a top 
issue for voters. Trump does not appear anywhere else on the website, aside 
from a list of endorsements that previously appeared on the homepage but has 
been moved to a separate page.

   Flores' campaign declined to comment.

   In Kentucky, Ralph Alvarado, running to represent the overwhelmingly 
Republican 6th Congressional District, removed all references to Trump from his 
campaign homepage, as well as a photo of the two of them together after winning 
his primary in May. He now promises to offer "INDEPENDENT LEADERSHIP" after 
previously running as an "AMERICA FIRST FIGHTER."

   NBC News first reported the changes to Alvarado's website. Campaign manager 
Andy Westberry noted Trump's photo still appears elsewhere in a media gallery. 
"The socialists are going to have to do a lot better than this nonsense to win 
this district," he said in a statement.

   Some changes do not mean Trump has been erased.

   While De La Cruz no longer touts himself as a "TRUMP CONSERVATIVE" at the 
top of his homepage, a video that is embedded lower down features the Air Force 
veteran speaking at a Trump rally.

   He still calls himself a "TEXAS TRUMP CONSERVATIVE" on his bio page and 
lists "Supporting President Trump's America First Agenda" as among his 
priorities on a "Mission" page.

   But the bio section has also been tweaked. It once described him as "ready 
to be President Trump's wingman in Congress." That section now says he is 
running because he "believes America needs more servant leaders and fewer 
corrupt politicians" and "because he's not finished serving the country he 
loves."

   De La Cruz campaign manager Jordan Pawlicki said in a statement that, during 
the primary, several candidates were claiming the president's endorsement, so 
the campaign "put it front and center."

   "Carlos is honored to have President Trump's support, which is why the 
President is featured prominently across our website," Pawlicki said.

   Republicans downplay any changes to their messaging

   In Nevada, Republican congressional candidate Marty O'Donnell's website 
featured Trump prominently in June. The very first thing visitors saw was a 
pop-up with a large picture of Trump and a smiling O'Donnell standing side by 
side. The words "President Trump endorsed Marty O'Donnell" were written beneath 
the image.

   Two months later, the photo does not appear on the website. O'Donnell's 
campaign said the photo was not intentionally removed; the change was simply 
the standard rotation of the "splash page."

   O'Donnell adviser Keith Schipper noted that O'Donnell, a music composer best 
known for his work on the "Halo" video game series, has not deviated from his 
steadfast support for Trump.

   "Republicans are embracing President Trump on the campaign trail because 
they know he is the key to getting his voters out in November," Schipper said. 
"The president has delivered on the agenda he promised voters in 2024 and 
Republicans are smartly using it to win this year."

   There was another subtle shift in Alaska's House race, where Republican Rep. 
Nick Begich is running for reelection.

   In June, he highlighted his relationship to Trump on the homepage of his 
website: "Alongside President Trump, we have made great gains for Alaska, 
putting us on a path to self-determination and generational success."

   This week, nothing in that section has been changed, except for the opening 
line that previously mentioned Trump. Now, that line reads, "We have delivered 
for Alaska, putting us on a path to self-determination and generational 
success."

   Begich's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

   Some are emphasizing their independence

   Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican who represents a district carried by 
Kamala Harris in the last election, appeared on stage with the president during 
a rally in his district just three months ago. But does he want Trump to return 
before Election Day?

   "If he comes back, that's fine, but ultimately this race is going to be 
decided by my record and my vision," Lawler said in an interview.

   Lawler supported Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill," but he's quick to 
highlight policy differences, especially on taxes. Trump does not appear on 
Lawler's campaign website.

   On Thursday, Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor in Wisconsin 
who is closely aligned with Trump, publicly criticized the president's decision 
to sign an order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" as part of his trade war 
with Canada.

   "I believe the Great Lakes are the Great Lakes and should stay Lake 
Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario," he said, according to the Milwaukee 
Journal Sentinel.

   Earlier this week, he came out against Trump's plan to import cheaper ground 
beef in an effort to reduce prices.

   Others want distance from Trump's unpopular war with Iran.

   In Michigan, Rep. Barrett, who flipped a Lansing-area district two years 
ago, has been highlighting his vote against Trump's war in Iran on the campaign 
trail as he competes against William Lawrence, a self-described democratic 
socialist.

   Barrett this year has repeatedly broken ranks with Republicans to join 
Democrats in voting for the War Powers Resolution to rein in Trump's military 
campaign in Iran. And he has been promoting those votes, promoting a recent 
town hall with constituents, by saying he would "be having a discussion about 
the War Powers Act and my efforts to place congressional limits on the war in 
Iran."

   Roe, the Republican who advises Barrett, said the vote was not about some 
major break from Trump but a difference over a policy-specific issue. Barrett 
served in the U.S. Army for over two decades.

   "He's willing to be at odds with the White House on this issue," Roe said. 
"It's important to him."