Idaho County Republicans won’t be putting up any more lawn signs for Sen. Mike Crapo after he withdrew his endorsement for Donald Trump.
“You have lost our respect as a Republican and we feel you are no longer worthy of the title of ‘Republican’ that we proudly wear,” Jon Menough, chairman of the Idaho County Republican Central Committee, said in a letter to the state’s senior senator this week.
In an interview on Friday, Menough said that Trump “is the one that’s one been chosen by the party and I believe we need to support him.” And he said that includes Crapo, who’s running for a fourth term.
“Donald Trump was elected to represent the party --- by the people, not by the senators, not by other groups, but by the people,” Menough said.
Donald Trump was elected to represent the party --- by the people, not by the senators, not by other groups, but by the people,”
Jon Menough, chairman of the Idaho County Republican Central Committee
Menough said the central committee has received no response from Crapo.
In his letter to the senator, Menough said that Crapo has “relinquished your right to be associated with the party we represent.”
As a result, he said, the county’s central committee would provide no financial backing for Crapo and that members would not distribute signs or other campaign literature promoting the senator’s re-election bid.
Crapo backed Trump until Saturday, but he became one of the first Republicans to withdraw his endorsement after the Washington Post released a 2005 video that showed Trump boasting about kissing and groping women. Crapo said that Trump’s comments were “disrespectful, profane and demeaning” and made him unfit for the presidency, with his quick distancing earning him a mention in the opening of NBC’s “Saturday Light Live.”
Earlier, Crapo said he had endorsed Trump because he liked many of his ideas, including his plans for a strong defense, cutting taxes and limiting government and regulations.
Rob Hotakainen: 202-383-6154, @HotakainenRob