title:  Republicans Just Made A Decision That Probably Means They’ve Given Up On The Election
text: Faced with the prospect of campaigning with Donald Trump at the top of the Republican presidential ticket, the Republican National Committee appears ready to do something unprecedented eight months before the first ballot is cast and give up on the election.The Republican National Committee is scaling back its financial commitments to some of the most hotly contested states because of flagging fund-raising, the most concrete evidence yet of how the party s divisive and protracted presidential race is threatening the party s entire ticket in November.Sean Spicer, the RNC s head strategist, admitted to the New York Times that the party was not yet ready to have field organizers in place in key swing states like Florida and Ohio because the money isn t there yet, thanks to the contentious presidential contest.Even stranger, the Republicans are setting up a fund so that the party s wealthiest supporters can direct funds towards Senate and House races, instead of the marquee presidential matchup.Just as revealing, the party is also taking steps to create a separate fund-raising entity dedicated to Senate races, an acknowledgment that many of the wealthiest contributors are increasingly focused on protecting Republican control of Congress rather than on a presidential campaign they fear is lost.It is becoming apparent that those candidates are in trouble, thanks to Trump s series of toxic comments about Latinos, Muslims, blacks, and women. Already high profile Republicans like Senator John McCain have announced that they would not be attending the convention, usually the political destination of record for both parties in election years. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and the previous Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, both also said they would be skipping the convention as well.Polling shows that Donald Trump is the most disliked person to ever head the ticket of a major party, and in head to head polling he loses by double digits to Hillary Clinton. Trump performs so poorly that traditionally hardcore Republican states like Mississippi and Utah are within striking distance for Clinton. And in states that are part of President Obama s winning coalitions in 2012 and 2008, Trump is way behind.The Republican Establishment has already announced it plans to challenge Trump s bid to be the nominee, but it may already be too late. The election may already be lost.Featured image via Flickr