GOP campaign falling apart?

GOP congressional candidates start to abandon Trump

Republicans locked in close Senate and House races began to abandon Donald Trump late Friday and Saturday, and there may be more defections coming soon, party officials involved in those elections said.

On Saturday morning, Sen. Kelly Ayotte was the first vulnerable GOP incumbent to withdraw her support. 

She is locked in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

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On Saturday, GOP Sen. Mike Crapo, who's up for reelection in the conservative state of Idaho, revoked his Trump endorsement. 

The fact that a Republican in a safe red state was so willing to pull the plug on Trump could put additional pressure on GOP candidates in swing states to follow suit.

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House Republicans running in tough races began opposing Trump on Friday night, as Reps. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) and Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) both explicitly announced their opposition to Trump’s candidacy after the release of the audio and video.

“Mr. Trump should step aside. His defeat at this point seems almost certain and four years of Hillary Clinton is not what’s best for this country. Mr. Trump should do the right thing and put country first,” Coffman said.

And some Republicans working on Senate races said Saturday that the Republican National Committee should consider shifting its attention to congressional races rather than pouring in millions to help elect a candidate with little chance of winning.

Even Republicans in deep-red districts were quick to cut the cord. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who had endorsed Trump before and is not in a competitive race, withdrew his support. 

And Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) released a statement Saturday morning announcing that she would not vote for Trump because his behavior “makes him unacceptable as a candidate for president.”

"As disappointed as I've been with his antics throughout this campaign, I thought supporting the nominee was the best thing for our country and our party,” Roby said. 

“Now, it is abundantly clear that the best thing for our country and our party is for Trump to step aside and allow a responsible, respectable Republican to lead the ticket.”