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The state of the Republican Party (meltdown) and its impact on down ballot races
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This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

Oct 11, 2016
Listen 14:24
The state of the Republican Party (meltdown) and its impact on down ballot races
Despite the RNC’s commitment to stay loyal to Donald Trump -- even after his most recent scandal involving recordings of him discussing groping women without invitation -- the Republican Party's division over Trump is getting deeper.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 16:  Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) holds a news briefing following the weekly Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol November 16, 2015 in Washington, DC. "This is a time to be safe not sorry," said Ryan when talking about crafting provisions to increase vetting and restrict the number of Syrian refugees allowed to enter the United States. He also said the Autorization of Military Use bill he will soon sign will require President Barack Obama to come up with a comprehensive plant to defeat the Islamic State, or ISIS.  (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) holds a news briefing following the weekly Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol November 16, 2015 in Washington, DC.
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Despite the RNC’s commitment to stay loyal to Donald Trump -- even after his most recent scandal involving recordings of him discussing groping women without invitation -- the Republican Party's division over Trump is getting deeper.

Despite the RNC’s commitment to stay loyal to Donald Trump — even after his most recent scandal involving recordings of him discussing groping women without invitation — the Republican Party's division over Trump is getting deeper.

Yesterday, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) told his Congressional colleagues that he won't campaign for Trump.

Ryan said all his energy will go into trying to keep the GOP majority in the House.

Many in the Party are deeply worried that Trump's "Access Hollywood" recording, and possible outtakes from "The Apprentice", could doom his candidacy and badly hurt GOP Congressional prospects. The latest polls show Trump's national support dropping below 40-percent. What could that mean for Republicans and Democrats battling for Congressional seats? How likely is a major power shift in the Senate and the House?

Guests:

Lisa Mascaro, LA Times reporter covering Congress and the 2016 election; she tweets

Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report and elections editor for Roll Call; he tweets

Credits
Host, AirTalk
Host, All Things Considered, AirTalk Friday
Senior Producer, AirTalk & FilmWeek
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Associate Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Apprentice News Clerk, AirTalk
Apprentice News Clerk, FilmWeek