This whole notion that somehow #NeverTrump dies if it doesn’t result in a different candidate at the convention is ridiculous. Several media outlets have approached me over the last couple weeks to talk about this, one even calling me one of the “fiercest Trump critics in the state.” (I’ll take that as a compliment.)
As the Republican National Convention kicks off this week, conservatives opposed to nominating Donald Trump are still fuming about his candidacy and say their fight won’t end in Cleveland — a position that could help put Wisconsin in the Democratic column in November.
“There are many people in the ‘never Trump’ movement who, if Trump successfully gets the nomination in Cleveland, are not going to drop their opposition because he hijacked the party,” said Brian Fraley, a former Wisconsin GOP political director.
Fraley said he is considering voting for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. He also said Trump picking conservative Indiana Gov. Mike Pence for vice president shows he is worried about the anti-Trump holdouts, but it doesn’t make Trump “any less vulgar or any more trustworthy.”
–The Journal Times; July 18, 2016
Reporters are also asking if the addition of Mike Pence as VP running mate is going to change those who declare themselves #NeverTrump. Maybe some, but as you’ve heard me ask here before, does Pence make Trump more rational, less vulgar, more consistent, less authoritarian, smarter, more conservative, moral, or prepared? Nope. That said I think Pence is what Trump was looking for.
Brian Fraley, a Republican strategist, told Sinclair “the impact of running mates on turnout is traditionally over hyped. Pence is someone who will never, ever, overshadow Trump, and is a conservative with a track record on the Hill and experience running a state. That hit all of Trump’s criteria.”
—Sinclair Broadcast Group; July 14, 2016