GOP lawmaker: Trump should ‘step aside’ for sake of party

by Jordain Carney - 10/07/16 11:56 PM ET

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) called for Donald Trump to step down as the GOP presidential nominee on Friday night, arguing it’s the party’s only shot at winning in November.

The Colorado Republican — who faces a tough reelection race — said Trump losing the election “at this point seems almost certain.”

{mosads}”For the good of the country, and to give the Republicans a chance of defeating Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump should step aside,” he said in a statement, according to a local CBS station. “And four years of Hillary Clinton is not what is best for this country.”

Coffman added that Trump “should put the country first and do the right thing.”

Trump is facing a wave of backlash after The Washington Post published audio of the businessman making explicit comments about trying to have sex with women, which were caught on a hot mic in 2005.

Trump initially half-apology, saying the comments were private “locker-room banter” and “I apologize if anyone was offended.”

He later released a video that offered a bigger apology, although he also urged those watching to focus on the election’s bigger issues.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said earlier Friday night that he could no longer support Trump, adding that his remarks are “some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine.”

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who doesn’t support the GOP nominee, also called on Trump to drop out and for the party to find an “emergency replacement.”

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), a top Democratic target, called for Trump to drop out of the race.

Unlike Kirk, Coffman has previously stopped short of saying he would not back the businessman in November, while also seeking to distance himself from Trump’s string of controversies.

In the wake of Trump’s rhetorical battle with a Gold Star family, Coffman released an ad—entitled “Country First—where he said he didn’t “care for [Trump] much.”

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,” he said.

But the campaign of Democrat Morgan Carrol, who is challenging Coffman for his House seat, quickly fired back calling the ad “desperate.”

The non-partisan Cook Political Report has rated Coffman’s race as a toss-up.

Tags Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Jason Chaffetz Mark Kirk