Story highlights Donald Trump has made fighting Washington a key feature of his campaign

Katrina Pierson's comments broke with conventional partisan strategy

Washington (CNN) A Donald Trump spokeswoman said Monday that the GOP nominee's supporters could ignore down-ballot Republicans, regardless of whether it costs the party its congressional majorities.

Katrina Pierson's comment came hours after House Speaker Paul Ryan said he'll focus on protecting down-ballot Republicans rather than his party's standard-bearer.

"I can't keep my phone charged due to the mass volume of texts from people all over the country who will vote Trump, but down ballot, not so much," Katrina Pierson tweeted.

I can't keep my phone charged due to the mass volume of texts from people all over the country who will #VoteTrump but⬇️ballot not so much. — Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) October 10, 2016

The comments broke with conventional partisan strategy, where the candidate at the top of the ticket typically campaigns in support of candidates down-ballot. Part of a presidential nominee's job has been to ensure his or her party wins seats in Congress so the party can enact its legislative agenda.

Before he distanced himself from Trump, Ryan explained this calculus was part of why he supported the Republican nominee.

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