Donald Trump would be the least-popular presidential nominee ever chosen by a major party in modern times if he were chosen the GOP's standard-bearer,
The Washington Post reports.
According to
polling by the Post and ABC News, Trump's overall 67 percent unfavorable rating includes the dim view of three-quarters of women surveyed, 80 percent of young adults, 85 percent of Hispanics and nearly half of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
The unfavorability makes Trump more disliked than any major-party nominee in the 32 years the survey has been tracking candidates, according to the Post.
"Normally, when you're in a hole, the best advice is to stop digging. That doesn't appear to be his inclination," GOP strategist David Carney tells the Post.
"It's like taking a wagon full of nitroglycerine across the prairie. It's great if you get to the mountains and blow them up for gold. But it's pretty unpredictable."
A "silver lining" for Trump is that voters overall also view Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton unfavorably; 52 percent of voters see her unfavorably, the Post reports.
Guy Cecil, chief strategist for the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA, warns Trump is not as weak a general election candidate as the current atmosphere would suggest.
"I am skeptical of the polls showing such large leads and it's incumbent upon us to view this as a close race," Cecil said, the Post reports.
"He's going to attempt to throw everything, including the kitchen sink and maybe the refrigerator and stove at Hillary. And I would not be surprised if he changes his views on policy issues."
The Trump team maintains those who turn away from Clinton, along with disaffected working-class voters will offset Trump's sizable deficit with women, minority and young voters.
"What you'll find is across the board, in states like Pennsylvania or New York or New Jersey or Michigan, you're going to have a bunch of blue-collar workers who have supported Trump in the past and will continue to do so," Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski tells the Post.
"That broad appeal allows him to expand the electoral map."
And GOP pollster Frank Luntz tells the Post Trump could erase at least some his deficit if he capitalizes on the fall debates and other events.
"The big moments cause people to change," Luntz said. "And let's face it, we may have a moment outside of conventions and debates that's even bigger. If you have a Paris or a Brussels on American soil, that can completely change the dynamic."
But John Brabender, a GOP strategist who has guided the political career of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, tells the Post "even if these children of Reagan Democrats love his talk about manufacturing and American pride, he's going to have to make sure he's not losing the Republicans who are the heart of the party."
And that, he warns, "will require a campaign of surgical precision."
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