Ben Carson, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race on Friday, writes in
The Washington Post that members of the party in down-ticket races have to decide whether to "cuddle" Donald Trump or "dump" him if he ends up being the GOP standard-bearer in November.
Carson's own low-key demeanor proved no match for the brash real-estate mogul who is leading the delegate count and is still ahead in the polls, and he says the remaining three candidates trying to oust Trump aren't showing much promise.
That includes second-place Texas Sen. Ted Cruz whom Carson calls a "yeah, but …" candidate who elicits a shoulder shrug when his conservative bona fides and "attack-dog approach" to Democrat Hillary Clinton are mentioned.
As for those running for other offices, "Will they fall in line? Or will they buck all the attention the GOP nominee can bring to a district or state — attention that these candidates may need to win?" Carson asks.
With such as "polarizing figure" as Trump atop the ticket, "the political ramifications are not as easy to decipher," Carson admits.
Carson lists several approaches Republicans might take:
- Dump Trump: While this might help win over the large numbers of voters who say they will never vote for Trump, the first-time candidate has brought in lots of new voters, and it might not pay to alienate them either.
- Lone Wolf: Candidates such as Ohio Sen. Rob Portman might want to tread a line of neither embracing nor distancing from Trump. If the 18-to-25-year-old African-American votes dips just slightly from 2012, Republicans could win there, Carson notes.
- Cuddle Trump: Ride Trump's wave of support among those frustrated with government as is.
- The Prius approach: A hybrid of acknowledging the anger of the voters while rejecting Trump's sometimes broad mannerisms. Likely to work in the more liberal northeast, Carson says.
- The Ryan test: Named for House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has said he can work with Trump or any of the nominees, though he has twice called Trump out for positions Ryan says do not comport with the party, including calling for a moratorium on Muslim immigrants and in not being more forceful in rejecting support from white supremacists.