Many mainstream Republicans in Orange County – like many nationwide – are stunned by Donald Trump’s continuing momentum, with sentiment ranging from dismay and condemnation to ambivalent acceptance.

Even with Trump’s strong showing Tuesday in Nevada’s GOP caucus, many still hold out hope that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio can catch up and emerge as the nominee. Trump won 46 percent of the vote in Nevada, resulting in his third victory of the four states contested so far.

“It’s hard for me to believe that most Republicans would support a candidate who’s so over-the-top,” said attorney Michael Capaldi of Newport Beach. The Republican has joked that Trump should wear a clown nose to debates and on Wednesday called him an “illusionist.”

Orange County, whose longstanding reputation as a GOP stronghold largely continues although the party’s advantage over Democrats has been shrinking for 25 years, has often seen divisions among Republicans at this stage of the race. In February 2012, many in the county still supported Newt Gingrich over eventual winner Mitt Romney.

But Trump prompts a new and different set of questions than other candidates in recent memory.

“He’s not a conservative, and he doesn’t have the consistency that you find in anybody who believes in their politics,” Capaldi said. “It’s frustrating to see this man out in front who doesn’t seem to have any commitment to any of the party’s values.”

Capaldi cited Trump’s past use of eminent domain to try to seize private property and his comments supporting single-payer health care, an approach in which the government would have a bigger role than it does now.

Capaldi is among those who point to national polling that consistently shows Trump topping out with about a third of the Republican vote, arguing that he cannot win a majority of the GOP vote.

They also cite polls like that from The Associated Press this month that show he is seen unfavorably by 58 percent of adults surveyed, that 54 percent “definitely would not vote for him” and that Hillary Clinton would beat him in a faceoff.

Those statistics buoy the hopes of those who want Rubio to prevail as the Republican field shrinks.

“Trump’s support is from a lot of fringe people who don’t really look at the issues, who are just angry,” said Dale Dykema, who owns several companies, including one that provides financial services to mortgage companies.

Capaldi and Dykema, both members of the well-heeled GOP Lincoln Club of Orange County, expect next week’s Super Tuesday – when 11 states hold primaries – to be an indicator of whether Trump could falter. Fifteen more states hold primaries before the end of March. California is in the last batch of states to run primaries, with five holding them June 7.

Both Capaldi and Dykema are wary of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and say Rubio has the best chance to beat Clinton.

Trump champion

Villa Park’s Deborah Pauly, a member of the county GOP’s governing Central Committee and a Tea Party favorite, agrees it would be preferable that Trump had a longer, more committed history as a Republican. But she scoffs at those who marginalize him.

“I see that the establishment is very frustrated with somebody they can’t control,” Pauly said. “Trump’s success is the product of the failure of the Republican Party and the Republican establishment.”

She dismisses the idea that there’s a ceiling of about 36 percent to how much support Trump can garner from GOP voters. She says Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are also outsider candidates and that if they dropped out, their supporters would likely turn to Trump.

And she brushes aside the idea that Trump can’t beat Clinton.

“Clinton has already beat Clinton,” Pauly said.

Newport Beach small-business owner Teresa Hernandez is among those favoring Trump, though it’s not without mixed feelings.

“He makes me cringe when he speaks,” said Hernandez. “I am scared what he is going to say. But I also love him. I want someone who is going to turn the tables over in Washington. I want someone who has backbone and won’t be bought and knows how to out-negotiate the lobbyists.”

She worries that Rubio and Cruz are too young and could be more susceptible to caving in to special interest pressure if elected.

“Trump (is) rough around the edges, but he won’t be bought and he’s enough of a narcissist to come through on his promises (to) bring back jobs, build up the economy,” she said.

Image issues

Some Trump critics in the GOP worry that the billionaire businessman and reality TV star is damaging the Republican brand – particularly among Latinos – in a way that could hurt GOP candidates in other November races and beyond.

“The party becomes seen as more of a right-wing entity with Trump,” said Dykema, who’s been involved in Latino outreach projects for the GOP. “When I say right-wing, I don’t mean he’s a conservative. I mean he’s on the fringe. And I can’t believe it’s going to help with Hispanics.”

Specifically, critics point to the Trump’s characterization of many of those crossing the border as “criminals and rapists,” his proposed deportation of everyone in the country illegally and his proposal to build a wall along the southern border.

Hernandez countered that it remains up to the GOP as a whole to recruit and elect more Latino candidates, and to pass immigration reform if it is to connect with the Latino community.

“But more than anything, Latinos want jobs, and if the economy gets better and the process to come across legally gets streamlined, things will change,” she said. “I am willing to overlook all of The Donald’s flaws.”

There are also concerns that many Republicans might not bother to vote in November if Trump is the nominee. While Fred Whitaker, chairman of the county GOP, remains neutral on Republican candidates, he is staying focused on making sure county Republicans vote on Election Day.

“As we get closer to having a nominee, you’ll see people pulling together,” he predicted.

Indeed, both Capaldi and Dykema indicated they would likely – if grudgingly – vote for Trump if he were the nominee. Another Lincoln Club member, Newport Beach businessman Buck Johns, would also prefer Rubio, but he says he would vote for Trump “with great enthusiasm” if he’s the party’s choice.

“He’s added a delightful dimension to the race,” Johns said. “He’s elevated the debate in some ways. He’s helped us get away from some of the crazy political correctness. A lot more people are paying attention because of him.”

Contact the writer: mwisckol@ocregister.com