Many Republican House incumbents and candidates are scrambling to lock down their elections — and to keep some distance from their party’s polarizing president. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Elections Florida Republican House candidate snubs Trump rally ‘The problem with Trump is you never know what’s going to come out of his mouth,’ said a Florida pollster.

President Donald Trump’s political team wanted to rally in Florida next week beside Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor, and the Republican who hopes to succeed him in the House.

But sources familiar with the talks say the congressional candidate, Michael Waltz, declined amid concerns about the risks of publicly stumping with Trump, and instead wanted the president to headline a private fundraiser in his central Florida-based district.


Both prospective events fell through in the end.

The episode provides a revealing glimpse into the midterm election homestretch, where many Republican House incumbents and candidates are scrambling to lock down their elections — and to keep some distance from their party’s polarizing president.

Waltz’s district is usually a safe Republican seat, but he’s facing a stiff challenge from Democrat Nancy Soderberg.

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The Waltz campaign didn’t dispute the insiders’ account of the negotiations with the White House, instead issuing a statement that played up the candidate’s support for Trump.

“Michael Waltz proudly supports the many successes President Trump has achieved on behalf of the American people and has said EXACTLY THAT in dozens of interviews on FOX News, on the campaign trail and in campaign ads,” the campaign said in a written response. “Michael Waltz is determined to make his case directly to the voters of this district based on his own experience as a decorated combat veteran and small business owner who’s dedicated his entire adult life to serving this country.”

Still, the Waltz campaign’s concerns about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the president at a public event reveals the jitters among Republicans as the president barnstorms the country in a final monthlong push to energize Republicans to keep the House in GOP hands. While the president remains popular among the Republican base and in some states he won in 2016, his unpopularity with women and independents is cause for worry for many GOP candidates.

In his competitive suburban Kansas seat, Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder recently announced he’d skip the president in-state rally due to a scheduling conflict. Even Florida Gov. Rick Scott — who was urged by Trump to run for U.S. Senate — avoided a July political rally with Trump where the president touted DeSantis’ bid for governor. Scott cited a conflict with his nearby fundraising event.

Scott, however, isn’t keeping too much distance. He appeared at an official office visit at a Tampa school with Trump before the July rally, and he’s joining Trump on Monday in Orlando at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention — classified as an official White House, nonpolitical event. But there’s no political rally planned.

DeSantis won’t attend the convention, his campaign says, because it’s a non-political event. DeSantis resigned his congressional seat after winning the Aug. 28 gubernatorial primary, which DeSantis won, thanks to Trump’s strong backing. His campaign says it welcomes Trump’s return on Air Force One to the Sunshine State, which is expected soon.

“This won’t be the last time the plane comes down to Florida,” a DeSantis spokesman said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz said DeSantis needs Trump to rally with him.

“There were a million new Republican voters in 2016 who have never voted for governor and in every corner of this state, we need to turn them out. No one does that like the big man himself,” Gaetz said. “If we get the Trump voters out, we win. And if we don’t, we’re gonna get crushed.”

Both DeSantis and Scott have recently kept their distance from Trump’s rhetoric, specifically his comments insulting Puerto Ricans — an influential voting bloc in Florida — concerning Hurricane Maria’s death toll.

Trump was particularly angered with DeSantis afterwards, viewing what he saw as a betrayal by DeSantis because of all the president did for him, but the two have patched up the relationship.

The Waltz campaign’s decision to put off a public rally in DeSantis’ old district — which Trump carried by 17 percentage points in 2016 — puzzled some supporters of the president and DeSantis.

“The president won Ron’s district overwhelmingly. There’s no way a rally could hurt Waltz,” said one insider familiar with the discussions over the possible event. “But they’re worried about independents and Trump coming unplugged at a rally. So there’s no point.”

The White House declined to comment.

In his primary campaign, Waltz fashioned himself as a pro-Trump Republican. But in 2016, during the height of the presidential primary in Florida, he trashed Trump in an ad for the American Future Fund political committee, which supported Sen. Marco Rubio. Waltz, a Special Forces lieutenant commander who served in Afghanistan, was offended by Trump for saying Sen. John McCain wasn’t a war hero because he was captured in Vietnam.

“Donald Trump hasn’t served this country a day in his life, essentially dodged the draft in Vietnam through multiple deferments,” Waltz, speaking direct to camera, said in the ad, which has now been removed from the internet. “All Donald Trump has served is himself. Don’t let Donald Trump fool you. Look into his real record and stop Trump now."

A snippet of that commercial was used against Waltz in another ad during the just-ended primary, but to no avail. A FOX commentator, Waltz established enough conservative credibility and had praised enough of Trump’s foreign policy since the presidential election to withstand the criticisms of disloyalty.

Statewide, Trump isn’t as unpopular as he is in nationwide polls, said Brad Coker, who surveys Florida for Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy. His poll of the state, released this week, showed the Senate and governor’s races are tied and that 44 percent of likely Florida voters have a favorable impression of Trump while 46 percent have an unfavorable impression, giving him a net favorable rating of -2.

One of the Republicans familiar with Waltz’s decision to keep some distance with the president suggested Trump’s penchant for making inflammatory remarks can be a “headache to say the least.”

“District 6 is a safe Republican district,” Coker said. “Why risk it? The problem with Trump is you never know what’s going to come out of his mouth.”

