“He’s enough of a deal maker that he could talk to people and trust people and he and (House Speaker) Paul Ryan could get along,” Farrow said. “I think Paul would have a much stronger role in that type of Republican leadership situation than he would with Hillary Clinton.”

Walker also offered a contrast between Trump and Clinton as the reason he supports Trump, notably over U.S. Supreme Court nominations, taxes, business regulation and the size and scope of the federal government.

“All of those things will be much better under Trump than under Hillary Clinton,” Walker said.

Possible long-term effect on party

Some Republicans worried about a lingering impact on the party.

Strategist Brandon Scholz, who said he won’t vote for Trump, said he expects there will be several Republicans who vote for all of the down-ballot races on the ticket and leave the presidential race blank and others who will look for an alternative candidate, such as a libertarian.

“My fear would be that these walkaways and break-offs and others really hurt the future of the party in fundraising, candidate recruitment, organizational development and other things,” Scholz said. “That’s a total reflection of Donald Trump.”