NEW YORK (AP) â âAIR FORCE VETERAN. SMALL BUSINESSMAN. TRUMP CONSERVATIVE.â
The all-caps headline on Texas Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruzâs website used to align him with President Donald Trump. Not anymore.
âNATIVE TEXAN. AIR FORCE VETERAN. SMALL BUSINESSMAN. PROVEN CONSERVATIVE,â it reads now.
De La Cruzâs campaign rejected any suggestion he was backing away from the president, whose knack for mobilizing his loyalists remains critical for Republicans in this fallâs midterm elections. The overwhelming majority of Republicans on the ballot this fall are embracing Trump despite his dismal approval ratings, an unpopular war with Iran and lingering inflation.
However, as the two-month sprint to Election Day begins, a small collection of Republican candidates have quietly begun to distance themselves in subtle ways from Trump now that theyâve won contested primaries in which his endorsement was often the most coveted prize. The shift is easy to miss, often only a few words or new pictures. And Republicans insist there is no shift at all.
Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, called it a âmanufactured storyline.â
âPresident Trump and House Republicans have delivered historic results for the American people, and our candidates are eager to take that record directly to voters alongside the President on the campaign trail,â he said.
But from California to Texas and Kentucky to Alaska, candidates in recent weeks have tweaked their campaign messaging to downplay their connection to Trump. A handful of others have highlighted their opposition to his policies.
Itâs an extremely delicate balance for vulnerable Republican candidates, who must expand their appeal beyond Trumpâs MAGA base to win in the general election this fall, but are also afraid to trigger a backlash from Trump or his hard core supporters if they create too much distance.
Trumpâs unpopularity could weigh down his party
Most candidates are still wrapping their arms around Trump.
Republican allies of the president argue there is little upside for candidates to turn away from Trump, despite his weak polling numbers. Democrats will try to cast every Republican running as a Trump acolyte, regardless of their actual stances, they said, and midterm successes typically depend on turning out base voters. Trump remains the Republican Partyâs best motivator.
âThe whole Republican brand is that weâre aligned with Trump so you gain nothing from it,â said Jason Roe, a Republican who advises Rep. Tom Barrett, who is fighting for reelection in a competitive mid-Michigan district race.
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It is typical for candidates from both sides to tweak their messages after primary elections. Some Democrats, for example, have begun pitching themselves as moderates after highlighting endorsements from progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders during their primaries.
Still, the slight shift among at least a half-dozen Republican congressional candidates could signal the beginning of a more significant move within the party as the weight of Trumpâs unpopularity with the general public comes into view at a critical moment. Just 33% of adults approve of Trumpâs job performance, according to Associated Press-NORC polling from July. And Trump gets relatively poor ratings on his handling of the economy, immigration and foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Trump will not make it easy for vulnerable Republicans to avoid him. As voters typically begin paying much closer attention to politics after Labor Day, the president will headline a two-day Republican convention in Dallas as he urges voters to act as if he were on the ballot.
âThe problem that we have is they say that Trump does great when heâs on the ballot, but when heâs not on the ballot, his people donât come,â Trump said as he recently stumped in South Carolina.
âSo what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that Iâm on the ballot,â he went on. âJust say that Iâm on the ballot one more time.â
Shifting emphasis moving into the general election
A number of Republicans have removed or downplayed references to Trump from their websites after winning their primaries.
Eric Flores, a former assistant U.S. Attorney and Texas Army National Guard infantry captain running against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. in South Texas, once featured âSUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMPâS AGENDAâ as No. 2 in his list of priorities on his campaign homepage.
That item has now been replaced with â LOWER THE COST OF LIVING,â a top issue for voters. Trump does not appear anywhere else on the website, aside from a list of endorsements that previously appeared on the homepage but has been moved to a separate page.
Floresâ campaign declined to comment.
In Kentucky, Ralph Alvarado, running to represent the overwhelmingly Republican 6th Congressional District, removed all references to Trump from his campaign homepage, as well as a photo of the two of them together after winning his primary in May. He now promises to offer âINDEPENDENT LEADERSHIPâ after previously running as an âAMERICA FIRST FIGHTER.â
NBC News first reported the changes to Alvaradoâs website. Campaign manager Andy Westberry noted Trumpâs photo still appears elsewhere in a media gallery. âThe socialists are going to have to do a lot better than this nonsense to win this district,â he said in a statement.
Some changes do not mean Trump has been erased.
While De La Cruz no longer touts himself as a âTRUMP CONSERVATIVEâ at the top of his homepage, a video that is embedded lower down features the Air Force veteran speaking at a Trump rally.
He still calls himself a âTEXAS TRUMP CONSERVATIVEâ on his bio page and lists âSupporting President Trumpâs America First Agendaâ as among his priorities on a âMissionâ page.
But the bio section has also been tweaked. It once described him as âready to be President Trumpâs wingman in Congress.â That section now says he is running because he âbelieves America needs more servant leaders and fewer corrupt politiciansâ and âbecause heâs not finished serving the country he loves.â
De La Cruz campaign manager Jordan Pawlicki said in a statement that, during the primary, several candidates were claiming the presidentâs endorsement, so the campaign âput it front and center.â
âCarlos is honored to have President Trumpâs support, which is why the President is featured prominently across our website,â Pawlicki said.
Republicans downplay any changes to their messaging
In Nevada, Republican congressional candidate Marty OâDonnellâs website featured Trump prominently in June. The very first thing visitors saw was a pop-up with a large picture of Trump and a smiling OâDonnell standing side by side. The words âPresident Trump endorsed Marty OâDonnellâ were written beneath the image.
Two months later, the photo does not appear on the website. OâDonnellâs campaign said the photo was not intentionally removed; the change was simply the standard rotation of the âsplash page.â
OâDonnell adviser Keith Schipper noted that OâDonnell, a music composer best known for his work on the âHaloâ video game series, has not deviated from his steadfast support for Trump.
âRepublicans are embracing President Trump on the campaign trail because they know he is the key to getting his voters out in November,â Schipper said. âThe president has delivered on the agenda he promised voters in 2024 and Republicans are smartly using it to win this year.â
There was another subtle shift in Alaskaâs House race, where Republican Rep. Nick Begich is running for reelection.
In June, he highlighted his relationship to Trump on the homepage of his website: âAlongside President Trump, we have made great gains for Alaska, putting us on a path to self-determination and generational success.â
This week, nothing in that section has been changed, except for the opening line that previously mentioned Trump. Now, that line reads, âWe have delivered for Alaska, putting us on a path to self-determination and generational success.â
Begichâs campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Some are emphasizing their independence
Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican who represents a district carried by Kamala Harris in the last election, appeared on stage with the president during a rally in his district just three months ago. But does he want Trump to return before Election Day?
âIf he comes back, thatâs fine, but ultimately this race is going to be decided by my record and my vision,â Lawler said in an interview.
Lawler supported Trumpâs so-called âbig, beautiful bill,â but heâs quick to highlight policy differences, especially on taxes. Trump does not appear on Lawlerâs campaign website.
On Thursday, Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor in Wisconsin who is closely aligned with Trump, publicly criticized the presidentâs decision to sign an order renaming Lake Ontario âLake Americaâ as part of his trade war with Canada.
âI believe the Great Lakes are the Great Lakes and should stay Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario,â he said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Earlier this week, he came out against Trumpâs plan to import cheaper ground beef in an effort to reduce prices.
Others want distance from Trumpâs unpopular war with Iran.
In Michigan, Rep. Barrett, who flipped a Lansing-area district two years ago, has been highlighting his vote against Trumpâs war in Iran on the campaign trail as he competes against William Lawrence, a self-described democratic socialist.
Barrett this year has repeatedly broken ranks with Republicans to join Democrats in voting for the War Powers Resolution to rein in Trumpâs military campaign in Iran. And he has been promoting those votes, promoting a recent town hall with constituents, by saying he would âbe having a discussion about the War Powers Act and my efforts to place congressional limits on the war in Iran.â
Roe, the Republican who advises Barrett, said the vote was not about some major break from Trump but a difference over a policy-specific issue. Barrett served in the U.S. Army for over two decades.
âHeâs willing to be at odds with the White House on this issue,â Roe said. âItâs important to him.â
___ Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti reported from St. Joseph, Michigan.
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