U.S. Senate candidate Carlos Beruff is calling on Republicans to rally around Donald Trump as the party's presumptive presidential nominee after Trump knocked U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz out of the race with a victory in Indiana's primary Tuesday.
Carlos Beruff in an image from a campaign video
“Beating Hillary Clinton in November should be the first goal of all Republicans," Beruff, a Manatee County homebuilder running for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, said in a press release Wednesday morning. "Donald Trump is the nominee of our party, and I am committed to voting for him and supporting him so that we can take our country back from the liberal policies of Obama and Clinton."
Many Republican officeholders and candidates have been hesitant to embrace Trump, but that could change now that he appears certain to grab the nomination. Ohio Gov. John Kasich remains in the race but has almost no chance of winning.
Beruff called on the four other Republicans running against him in the Senate race to back Trump. Some have expressed misgivings about the candidate in the past. Asked by an interviewer recently if he would support Trump in the general election, U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Indian Shores, said "I don't know."
A brash billionaire who has made comments about Mexicans, Muslims and other groups that many find offensive, Trump is a hugely divisive figure. Some believe he could drag down other Republicans on the ballot this year. But it could be risky for Republicans in competitive primaries to distance themselves from the party's new figurehead. A recent Associated Industries poll found 55 percent of Florida Republicans have a favorable view of Trump.
Quickly embracing Trump could help Beruff court the billionaire's supporters and put pressure on his Senate rivals.
"I urge all Republicans to unite behind Trump and I urge my opponents to commit to supporting him as the Republican nominee," Beruff said. "This election is too important for our party not to be united behind him to defeat Hillary Clinton.”
Beruff has said in the past that he would support Trump if he becomes the party's nominee. He also has advanced proposals that echo those put forward by Trump. Beruff recently said that he wants to temporarily ban immigration to the U.S. from most countries in the Middle East.
