‘Never Hillary’

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Donald Trump’s best ally in winning over skeptical Republicans is turning out to be Hillary Clinton.

Having overcome a multimillion-dollar “Never Trump” campaign aimed at blocking him from the Republican nomination, he’s now benefiting from a wave of GOP donors, party leaders, voters and conservative groups that are uniting under a new banner: “Never Hillary.”

“Nothing unites Republicans better than a Clinton,” says Scott Reed, a political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who has advised previous GOP campaigns. While Reed says there remain “many unknowns” about Trump, he adds that “the knowns about Hillary are very powerful motivators to Republicans.”

Thanks to Republicans’ deep disdain for the likely Democratic nominee, Trump is piling up those kinds of lukewarm GOP endorsements.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who called Trump a dangerous “con artist” during his own failed presidential campaign, now says he’s willing to get involved in the general election to stop Clinton.

“If you can live with a Clinton presidency for 4 years, that’s your right,” Rubio wrote on Twitter on Friday. “I can’t and will do what I can to prevent it.”

Later in the day he reiterated on Twitter that his assistance should not be viewed as pro-Trump. “I said I would be ‘honored’ to help party beat Hillary,” he wrote.

“Never Hillary” graced the subject line of a new Republican National Committee fundraising email that had nary a mention of Trump. Super PACs advised by Trump-skeptic Karl Rove are using the hashtag #NeverHillary on Twitter to promote online videos about her perceived scandals – even as Rove says the groups aren’t likely to spend money boosting Trump.

Last week when the National Rifle Association endorsed Trump, the announcement came without much of a sales pitch for him. But it did include a blunt message for the 5 million members about Clinton.

Noting the heated GOP primary campaign, Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist, said at the organization’s convention last week, “Were there differences between candidates for the nomination? Of course. Are there valid arguments in favor or some over others? Sure. Will any of it matter if Hillary Clinton wins in November? Not one bit.”

For the NRA and other Republican-leaning groups, Clinton has become a reason to look past Trump’s spotty record on conservative issues.

Billionaire Minnesota broadcasting executive Stanley Hubbard helped pay for the Never Trump campaign, but says he’s willing to give money to the GOP nominee to stop Clinton.

Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire casino executive whose top issue is the protection of Israel, urged reluctant Republican Jews to unite behind Trump.

“Like many of you, I do not agree with him on every issue. However, I will not sit idly by and let Hillary Clinton become the next president,” he wrote in an email to fellow board members of the Republican Jewish Coalition.