At RNC, Daudt assesses Trump factor at home
Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt, a Republican delegate to the national convention, outlined potential upsides to having Donald Trump atop the Republican ticket but said the impact of the presidential race on down ballot races isn't clear yet.
Daudt, R-Zimmerman, backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio but said he will vote for Trump in November. His chief focus, however, is retaining GOP control of the Minnesota House. The presidential race usually dominates voter attention, but Daudt doesn't buy into arguments that the outcome of that race and the legislative contests will be linked.
"I don't think that voters in Minnesota are going to necessarily attach Donald Trump to a House candidate. Likewise, I don't think they're going to attach Hillary Clinton to some of these House candidates," Daudt said after a delegation breakfast Wednesday. "I think when you look at the ideas, the records, the issues, the stances on issues they are going to have to weigh, 'Do I support this candidate for the state House and this presidential candidate?' They are not joined at the hip."
Daudt predicted Trump has a "trust advantage" with Minnesota voters. "It's not just about who you like, but who you trust," he said, adding that he's "confident" Trump will ultimately help more than hurt down the ballot.
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Daudt turned around a reporter's question about whether some Republican House candidates will try to separate themselves from Trump.
"I don't know if candidates will be distancing themselves from Hillary Clinton," he said. "I would imagine there are going to be some areas where that is going to be the case as well."
Neither Trump nor Clinton fared well in Minnesota's March precinct caucuses. Trump finished third to Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Clinton was thumped by Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side.
Daudt said those outcomes, which involved a tiny fraction of Minnesota voters, won't necessarily be indicative of party preferences in the general election.
"Most Minnesotans on both sides of the aisle had another first choice," Daudt said. "It doesn't mean that Democrats, some Democrats at least, will migrate to Hillary Clinton, and we expect most, if not all Republicans, will migrate to Donald Trump."