The co-chairman of the centrist Tuesday Group says Trump has shaken up the balance of power in his party.

“I’ll tell you what, the battle prior to Donald Trump was this: We had the purists versus the pragmatists — and the pragmatists were largely the governing wing of the party, of which I was a part. That was the battle, that was the litmus test," Dent told host Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s "Hardball."

ADVERTISEMENT

"Now since Donald Trump has become president, the litmus test is more Trump loyalty — are you loyal enough. But we still have this underlying fight between the pragmatists and the ideologues. In many respects, the ideologues have the upper hand,” he continued.

The Pennsylvania lawmaker, a moderate Republican from a swing district, announced last week that he would not seek reelection next year for an eighth term.

Dent said he first entertained stepping away from public service in September 2013, pointing to the date far-right Republicans brought about a government shutdown over a budget impasse.

"I want to leave at the top of my game," he added.

When Matthews pressed Dent on whether he would stay in office if it were not for Trump, whom he has repeatedly criticized, Dent responded "probably not" and pointed to the "excruciatingly hard" efforts required to do the basics tasks of governance.

"It was not just the president; we were having problems prior to Donald Trump," he added.