According to at least one prominent Republican strategist, Donald Trump will not be the 2016 GOP candidate. But his wildly popular insurgent campaign will have a powerful effect nevertheless — and not a positive one.
Ed Rollins, speaking at the Concordia Summit in New York, said that while he doesn’t think Trump will receive the nomination, his campaign has already caused a major disruption.
“I’ve never seen anyone dominate the media like he has,” Rollins said. And what Trump says while he basks in the spotlight is a problem for the Republican Party.
Trump’s many negative comments about minority groups are hurting Republican support among Hispanics. A Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 82 percent of Hispanics view Trump unfavorably, with 68 percent feeling “strongly so.” Rollins says that’s going to be a problem in the handful of states that will likely decide the outcome of the 2016 election.
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Minority votes are more important than ever, especially in swing states like Florida and Colorado. Rollins says that the percentage of minority voters has grown by around 2 to 3 percent in every swing state. Even if Trump isn’t the Republican nominee, it’s unlikely these minority voters will come around and support the party’s eventual choice after feeling the sting of Trump’s sometimes insulting language.
According to Rollins, Republicans are going to have to do some serious damage control to rebuild support among Hispanic voters in the wake of Trump’s campaign. In the end, Trump may end up damaging the GOP’s image so badly in swing states that the party has trouble competing, no matter who the nominee may be.
