Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee this week, but a majority of GOP insiders aren't ready to commit to voting for him in November.

That’s according to The POLITICO Caucus – a panel of operatives, activists and strategists in 10 Electoral College battleground states. Fewer than four-in-10 GOP insiders said they would vote for Trump in the general election, while a quarter said they would not. The remaining 35 percent said they weren’t sure.


The objections of anti-Trump Republicans ranged from criticisms of Trump’s vulgar language and crude behavior, to concerns about Trump’s control of the U.S. nuclear arms stockpile.

But a number of Republican insiders – both those who said they’d vote for Trump and some of those who were unsure – said they felt compelled to oppose Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee.

“I am still in shock, and my emotions are a little raw,” said a Colorado Republican, who, like all respondents, completed the survey anonymously. “I will, unfortunately, have no other choice, because there is nothing more important than stopping Hillary.”

“Don't love him; like her less,” added a Pennsylvania Republican. “I think there's going to be a lot of that type of decision making on both sides this November.”

Others cited party loyalty as a reason to unite behind Trump.

“I am a Republican,” said an Iowa Republican. “This is my party. It has spoken.”

Some of the undecided GOP insiders said they were waiting to see how Trump’s campaign style changes in the general election.

“I want to see how he behaves, what ideas he puts out there, who his people are,” said another Iowa Republican. “Right now, Hillary is a safer bet from a foreign policy standpoint, where Trump is a complete wild card. You can fix domestic policy … you f--- up foreign policy, and people die.”

“[I] won't vote for Hillary, but have voted Libertarian in the past when faced with two candidates that I frankly cannot stomach,” added a Nevada Republican. “Not afraid to do this again, but keeping an open mind that Trump can convince me he is actually presidential and not just a carnival barker.”

A number of GOP insiders insisted they won’t ever support Trump.

“As many others have said, country comes before party,” said a Virginia Republican. “I hate that we are in this position, but I could never vote for Donald Trump.”

“I can't look my kids in the eyes and tell them I voted for a foul-mouthed, lying cheater who bullies people and expect them to listen to anything I say about how to be a good human being,” added an Iowa Republican.

An Ohio Republican put it simply: “My wife would leave me.”

In addition to concerns about Trump’s character, a number of Republican insiders said Trump’s unstable temperament was disqualifying.

“I have always voted for every Republican nominee for every office on every ballot that I have ever cast. Trump will be the first candidate to break my streak,” said a New Hampshire Republican. “While I cannot stand Hillary Clinton, I am confident that she wouldn't start a nuclear war over a perceived slight from a foreign leader. I cannot say the same for President Trump.”

“First responsibility of the president: Control of nuclear launch codes,” added a Florida Republican. “Had Trump been in office in October 1962, we wouldn't be here to have this survey.”

These initial views of the insider class don’t match with rank-and-file Republican voters: Even before Cruz and Kasich ended their campaigns this week, a CNN/ORC poll showed 84 percent of self-identified Republican voters would choose Trump over Clinton in a head-to-head match-up. (That compares to 94 percent of Democrats who would vote for Clinton, which gives the former secretary of state a distinct advantage in the fall.)

“This is my nightmare,” one Colorado Republican said. “I am thinking about eating a dozen ‘Colorado cookies,’ slipping into a coma and waking up in January 2017.”

Democrats to Sanders: Get out, and help Clinton beat Trump.

The prospect of a Trump nomination has accelerated the urgency for Bernie Sanders to end his campaign and allow Clinton to turn her attention to the general election, a majority of Democratic insiders say.

Sixty-five percent of swing-state Democratic insiders said the departures of Trump’s opponents makes uniting behind Clinton more crucial, while 35 percent say it doesn’t.

“At this point Bernie Sanders can't win,” said a Florida Democrat. “That has been true for weeks now. So he needs to do the right and honorable thing and end his campaign. Every day he stays in is a victory for Trump.”

“The Democrats need to be able to begin the process of uniting the party and energizing the base. Bernie Sanders' continued candidacy does not serve that purpose,” added a North Carolina Democrat. “I think Hillary Clinton has shown a willingness to embrace the concerns that Sanders' voters care about. It’s time to let her do that.”

Some Democrats insisted Sanders’ campaign has helped the party and that he should remain in the race — as long as he remains committed to helping the party in the fall.

“I think Bernie should stay in as long as he wants, but I do believe he needs to get behind Hillary's candidacy and fully support her if the day comes when he does decide to drop out,” said a Wisconsin Democrat. “Bernie has added some important dimensions to this race, and he's been good for the discussion.”

Added a New Hampshire Democrat: “I believe Bernie's message continues to resonate and should impact the Democratic Party platform to the fullest extent possible. That may be all that it can do at this point, but I believe he has earned the right to see this journey through to the end.”

Others said Sanders isn’t a threat because voters recognize his moment has passed, despite his victory in Indiana this week.

“I don't think it makes a big difference at this point,” said a Colorado Democrat. “Aside from the inexperienced Bernie diehards, most people are pretty clear that we have our two presidential contenders now.”

These are the members of The POLITICO Caucus, not all of whom participated in this survey:

Colorado: Adam Eichberg, Alan Salazar, Andrew Freedman, B.J. Nikkel, Craig Hughes, Cole Finegan, Frank McNulty, Karen Middleton, Laura Carno, Matt Chandler, Michael Fortney, Owen Loftus, Pat Waak, Pete Maysmith, Rick Ridder, Rob Witwer, Roxane White, Ryan Call, Steve Welchert, Taylor West, Ted Harvey, Will Coyne

Florida: Alia Faraj-Johnson, Andrea Reilly, Andrew Weinstein, Andrew Wiggins, April Schiff, Ashley Walker, Ben Pollara, Beth Matuga, Brian E. Crowley, Chris Korge, Christian Ulvert, Damien Filer, David Beattie, David Johnson, Dennis Baxley, Elizabeth Cuevas-Nuender, Eric Johnson, Eric Jotkoff, Fernand R. Amandi, Fred Menachem, Gus Corbella, Jacki Lee, Jessica D. Ehrlich, Joe Mobley, John Dowless, Jon Mills, Joseph Falk, Judith Diaz, Justin Day, Kelly Cohen, Kevin Cate, Kevin Sweeny, Marian Johnson, Mark Ferrulo, Marty Fiorentino, Max Steele, Nelson Diaz, Nick Iarossi, Pamela Burch Fort, Rich Heffley, Richard R. Swann, Rick Wilson, Roger Stone, Ronald L. Book, Ryan Duffy, Ryan Wiggins, Scott Arceneaux, Slater Bayliss, Steve Schale, Steven Vancore, Susan A. MacManus, Tim Baker, Wayne Bertsch

Iowa: Tim Albrecht, Brad Anderson, Rob Barron, Jeff Boeyink, Bonnie Campbell, Dave Caris, Sam Clovis, Sara Craig, Jerry Crawford, John Davis, Steve Deace, John Deeth, Derek Eadon, Ed Failor Jr., Karen Fesler, David Fischer, Doug Gross, Steve Grubbs, Tim Hagle, Bob Haus, Joe Henry, Drew Ivers, Jill June, Lori Jungling, Jeff Kaufmann, Brian Kennedy, Jake Ketzner, David Kochel, Chris Larimer, Chuck Larson, Jill Latham, Jeff Link, Dave Loebsack, Mark Lucas, Liz Mathis, Jan Michelson, Chad Olsen, David Oman, Matt Paul, Marlys Popma, Troy Price, Christopher Rants, Kim Reem, Craig Robinson, Sam Roecker, David Roederer, Nick Ryan, Tamara Scott, Joni Scotter, Karen Slifka, John Smith, AJ Spiker, Norm Sterzenbach, John Stineman, Matt Strawn, Phil Valenziano, Jessica Vanden Berg, Nate Willems, Eric Woolson, Grant Young

Nevada: Adam Khan, Andres Ramirez, Andrew Diss, Barbara Buckley, Bob Cavazos, Brendan Summers, Chip Evans, Chuck Muth, Dan Hart, Daniel Stewart, Ed Williams, Emmy Ruiz, Erven T. Nelson, Greg Bailor, Heidi Wixom, Jack St. Martin, James Smack, Jay Gertsema, Jeremy Hughes, Jim DeGraffenreid, Jon Ralston, Kristen Orthman, Laura Martin, Linda Cavazos, Lindsey Jydstrup, Mac Abrams, Mari St. Martin, Marla Turner, Megan Jones, Michael McDonald, Michelle White, Mike Slanker, Neal Patel, Nick Phillips, Oscar Goodman, Pat Hickey, Paul Smith, Pete Ernaut, Peter Koltak, Riley Sutton, Robert Uithoven, Roberta Lange, Ryan Erwin, Ryan Hamilton, Sam Lieberman, Scott Scheid, Yvanna Cancela, Zach Hudson

New Hampshire: Charlie Arlinghaus, Arnie Arnesen, Patrick Arnold, Rich Ashooh, Dean Barker, Juliana Bergeron, D.J. Bettencourt, Michael Biundo, Ray Buckley, Peter Burling, Jamie Burnett, Debby Butler, Dave Carney, Jackie Cilley, Catherine Corkery, Garth Corriveau, Fergus Cullen, Lou D’Allesandro, James Demers, Mike Dennehy, Sean Downey, Steve Duprey, JoAnn Fenton, Jennifer Frizzell, Martha Fuller Clark, Amanda Grady Sexton, Jack Heath, Gary Hirshberg, Jennifer Horn, Peter Kavanaugh, Joe Keefe, Rich Killion, Harrell Kirstein, Sylvia Larsen, Joel Maiola, Kate Malloy Corriveau, Maureen Manning, Steve Marchand, Tory Mazzola, Jim Merrill, Jayne Millerick, Claira Monier, Greg Moore, Matt Mowers, Terie Norelli, Chris Pappas, Liz Purdy, Tom Rath, Colin Reed, Jim Rubens, Andy Sanborn, Dante Scala, William Shaheen, Stefany Shaheen, Carol Shea-Porter, Terry Shumaker, Andy Smith, Craig Stevens, Kathy Sullivan, Chris Sununu, James Sununu, Jay Surdukowski, Donna Sytek, Kari Thurman, Colin Van Ostern, Deb Vanderbeek, Mike Vlacich, Ryan Williams

North Carolina: Anita S. Earls, Brad Thompson, Bruce Thompson, Charles Wallin, Christopher Sgro, Dee Stewart, Douglas Wilson, Dylan Frick, Francis X. De Luca, Jonathan Felts, Melissa Reed, Michael Luethy, Morgan Jackson, Paul Shumaker, Patsy Keever, Ray Martin, Robin Hayes, Tami Fitzgerald, Taylor Griffin, Theresa Kostrzewa, Thomas Mills

Ohio: Bill DeMora, Bob Clegg, Cindy Demse, Damareo Cooper, David Leland, David Pepper, Erica Bruton, Greg Beswick, Ian James, Jai Chabria, Janet Carson, Jo Ann Davidson, Joe Hallett, Kathy DiCristofaro, Katie Eagan, Mark R. Weaver, Martha Clark, Matt Borges, Melissa Klide Hedden, Michael Gonidakis, Mike Dawson, Molly Shack, Nick Martin, Rhine McLin, Tim Burke, Wes Goodman

Pennsylvania: Charlie Gerow, Christopher Nicholas, Christopher P. Borick, Daniel F. Fee, David P. Sosar, David Thornburgh, Doc Sweitzer, Jason Ercole, Larry Ceisler, Marcel Groen, Mark Harris, Nachama Soloveichik, Ray Zaborney, Todd Stephens

Virginia: Abbi Easter, Bob Marshall, Brian Coy, Carolyn Fiddler, Chris LaCivita, Doris Crouse-Mays, Ed Matricardi, Frank Leone, Gaylene Kanoyton, Janet Carver, Jeannemarie Devoltes Davis, Jo Thoburn, Joe Fitzgerald, John Crosgrove, John Findlay, Marc Broklawski, Margo Horner, Michael Farris, Patsy Brown, Pete Snyder, Ray Allen, Sandra Brandt, Steve Stombres, Sue Langley, Susan J. Rowland, Susan Swecker, Tom Davis, Tucker Martin

Wisconsin: Barry Burden, Brandon Scholz, Emily Nehring, Gary B. Hawley, Jason Rae, Jim Camery, John T. Zapfel, Kevin Barthel, Meg Andrietsch, Marian Krumberger, Mary Arnold, Michael Basford, Patrick Guarasci, Rebecca Bonesteel, Robert Hansen, Terri Burl

Kristen Hayford contributed to this report.