"People ask me, 'What do you think about Trump,'" Coffman says to the camera in a new ad. "Honestly, I don't care for him much. And I certainly don't trust Hillary."

Coffman's ad marks the first time in the 2016 election a Republican candidate has used a TV commercial to actively distance themselves from Trump. But it sure as heck won't be the last — especially if Trump's polling slide continues.

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This is a survival move by Coffman. Polling suggest that Trump is running behind past Republican nominees in Colorado — thanks in part to his extremely poor showing among Hispanics and in part to his struggles with suburban women. (Coffman's 6th District is anchored in the western suburbs of Denver.)

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Coffman has almost certainly polled the district and found that Trump's image is in disastrous shape there. Coffman's only option — considering the swing nature of his district — is to get as far away as possible from Trump or run the risk of being dragged down with him.

Polling out in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire over the past 24 hours suggests that Coffman won't be the last Republican to try to distance himself from Trump. Sens. Pat Toomey (Pa.) and Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) trail their Democratic challengers by eight and 10 points, respectively. If it looks as if they will sink with Trump, they will try to cut him loose — without a second thought.

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The bigger question is whether Coffman's strategy will work. Past history suggests that it probably won't.

In the 2010 election, lots of Democrats in Republican-leaning districts or states tried to run away from President Obama and the Affordable Care Act. One of the most memorable was Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), who ran this ad to make his case.

"I'm not Nancy Pelosi. I'm not Barack Obama," Pomeroy says in the commercial. "I'm Earl Pomeroy."

It didn't work. Pomeroy lost by almost 10 points.