The Trump Barometer

Under The Hood

Has loyalty to President Donald Trump become the only barometer that matters for Republican in 2018? You might think so based on one area Congressional race.

State Sen. Greg Steube, a Republican candidate in District 17, this week distributed old tweets to the media written by primary opponent Julio Gonzalez, a state representative. The comments, posted in March 2016, embraced a “#NeverTrump” label.

Gonzalez, who supported Sen. Marco Rubio in the Republican presidential primary, in one tweet wrote Trump was “no conservative.” In another, he asserted Trump “doesn’t understand the nuances of our great Constitution to understand how to protect it.”  Most damning? To a tweet saying “The fact @marcorubio is still in the race is embarrassing,” Gonzalez responded: “The fact that Trump is still in the race is deplorable!” That came six months to the day before Democrat Hillary Clinton said many Trump backers came from a “basket of deplorables.”

“I don’t know where the word came from,” Gonzalez says now. “I thought it was witty.”

While most of the tweets include the hashtag “Marcomentum,” identifying Gonzalez as a footsoldier for Rubio, Steube says the attacks on the president should give voters pause. “A lot of elected officials in Florida supported Marco Rubio, but they didn’t brand themselves as NeverTrumpers,” Steube says (while noting he was always a Trump guy).

Republican voters this year want a representative who will always support Trump’s agenda, Steube says, but won’t get that with Gonzalez.

Or would they? Interestingly, Gonzalez’s counterpunch hasn’t been to outflank Trump from the right (clearly the thought behind those tweets). Instead, he brings up his support for Trump post-primary. Through podcasts and media appearances, Gonzales by November 2016 established himself among the region’s outspoken pro-Trump voices. “On the record, I am a staunch supporter,” he says.

Indeed, while Steube notes even Rubio never dubbed himself NeverTrump, the senator has yet to express the level of faith in Trump Gonzalez voices frequently.

Of course, this fight over who loves Trump more takes place while the president’s approval rating sit around 44 percent, according to Pollster.com. The two politicians also look to succeed U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Okeechobee, the only Florida Republican congressman to withdrew his endorsement of Trump in 2016 post-primary, around the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape. So why this bro-fight now?

Well, this also happens to be among the more pro-Trump districts in America. Only 85 of the nation’s 435 House districts delivered a higher margin of victory to Trump in 2016. And pro-Trump sentiment drove Bill Akins, the other Republican in this race, to jump into the primary when everyone assumed Rooney would seek re-election.

There’s little risk of being too pro-Trump here. Steube believes Rooney’s decision to retire had something to do with voters questioning his loyalty. “The constituents in the district were very disappointed with the congressman when he denounced his support,” Steube says. Gonzalez won’t criticize Rooney for turning away from Trump. But Gonzalez dug in amid the tape scandal, characterizing it as a cheap shot against Trump by the press.

Yet it’s worth noting Rooney won re-election here in 2016 by 27.6 points, getting around the same number of votes as Trump. Disappointment or none, votes fell along party lines.

There’s other factors in the race. Steube this week picked up a critical National Rifle Association endorsement and Gonzalez boasts support from Rubio, perhaps honoring that loyalty.

This intra-party squabble, though, shows support for the president may loom larger than any other principle this cycle.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ Media Group.

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