A Republican congressman targeted by Democrats in his reelection race is distancing himself from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in a new ad.
{mosads}In “Country First,” four-term incumbent Rep. Mike Coffman (Colo.), who is in the middle of a heated contest, looks straight into the camera and says he doesn’t much care for Trump.
“People ask me, ‘What do you think about Trump?’ Honestly, I don’t care for him much,” he said.
In recent days, Trump has faced backlash for attacking a Gold Star family, refusing to endorse Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in his primary and making other controversial remarks.
Republicans who have long been concerned about the impact Trump could have on down ballot races now face the decision of fleeing or supporting their party’s nominee after a week marred with controversy.
Coffman is seeking to fend off a Democratic opponent in what’s considered to be a tossup race as Democrats look to regain control of the House.
Coffman, a Marine and Army veteran who fought in Iraq, went on to say he will “stand up” to Trump if both are elected.
“I’m a Marine. For me, country comes first. My duty is always to you. So if Donald Trump is president, I’ll stand up to him. Plain and simple.”
The campaign of Democrat Morgan Carrol, who is challenging Coffman for his House seat, issued a statement calling the ad “desperate.”
“Mike Coffman is still voting for Donald Trump who denigrates women, people with disabilities, immigrants, and the military. If he wasn’t going to vote for this bully, he would have already said so. This desperate ad is definition Washington and the height of political double-speak – and it proves that Mike Coffman doesn’t have the moral conviction to denounce Trump’s candidacy.”
Sen. Mark Kirk, a vulnerable Republican who’s running for reelection in Illinois, similarly denounced Trump in a campaign ad in June.