WASHINGTON (AP) – The possibility of Donald Trump as Republican nominee – and perhaps president – is suddenly very real for the GOP in Congress.
After months of denial that the billionaire businessman could swipe the nomination from more establishment candidates, disconsolate Republican senators and House members dealt with a growing inevitability after Trump’s wins in seven states Tuesday cemented his front-runner status.
Some Republicans said they could work with him, while others openly wondered if that were possible. Some held out hope for other candidates – specifically Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, whom several senators have endorsed. Others raised the specter of a contested convention in July.
“I think those of us who have spent a little bit of our life predicting politics, this is almost totally unpredictable,” said Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of the Senate Republican leadership. “So I don’t know how you predict the path going forward. I do think there’s very little that incumbent members of the Senate who aren’t running for president can do to impact it.”
Other senators agreed that there’s not much a Congress with single-digit approval ratings can do to sway anti-establishment voters after Trump’s disparate wins Tuesday night, in states like Massachusetts, Alabama and Virginia.