中期选举临近，共和党候选人权衡与特朗普的结盟距离

随着美国中期选举临近，部分共和党国会候选人在赢得初选后，开始通过修改网站标语和移除特朗普照片等方式，微妙地与特朗普保持距离，以期扩大选民吸引力1。这一策略调整的背景是，美联社-NORC在7月进行的民调显示，仅有33%的成年人认可特朗普的工作表现1。然而，大多数共和党候选人依然选择拥抱特朗普，因为其动员核心基本盘的能力至关重要，这使得候选人陷入既要淡化关联以争取中间选民，又要避免激怒特朗普及其支持者的两难境地1。

在具体行动上，得克萨斯州共和党国会候选人卡洛斯·德拉·克鲁兹（Carlos De La Cruz）将其网站标题从“空军退伍军人、小企业主、特朗普保守派”修改为“得州本地人、空军退伍军人、小企业主、经过验证的保守派”1。埃里克·弗洛雷斯（Eric Flores）将其竞选主页的“支持特朗普总统的议程”替换为“降低生活成本”1。肯塔基州候选人拉尔夫·阿尔瓦拉多（Ralph Alvarado）在5月赢得初选后，从竞选主页移除了所有关于特朗普的提及以及两人的合照1。内华达州共和党国会候选人马蒂·奥唐奈（Marty O’Donnell）的网站不再显示特朗普与他的大照片弹窗1。阿拉斯加州共和党众议员尼克·贝吉奇（Nick Begich）将主页开篇语从提及特朗普更改为“我们为阿拉斯加带来了成果，使我们走上了自决和世代成功的道路”1。

众议员迈克·劳勒（Mike Lawler）表示：“如果他回来，那很好，但最终这场竞选将由我的政绩和我的愿景来决定。”1众议员汤姆·巴雷特（Tom Barrett）多次与共和党阵营决裂，加入民主党人的行列投票支持《战争权力决议》，以限制特朗普在伊朗的军事行动1。

As the U.S. midterm elections draw near, some Republican congressional candidates have begun subtly distancing themselves from Donald Trump after winning their primaries, aiming to broaden their voter appeal 1. These adjustments include altering website slogans and removing photographs of Trump 1. Despite this trend, the majority of Republican candidates continue to embrace Trump, as his ability to mobilize the base remains crucial, leaving candidates in a dilemma between toning down their association to attract moderates and avoiding angering Trump and his core supporters 1. According to an Associated Press-NORC poll from July, just 33% of adults approve of Trump’s job performance 1.

Several candidates have made specific changes to their digital presence to reflect this shift. Texas Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz changed his website headline from “AIR FORCE VETERAN. SMALL BUSINESSMAN. TRUMP CONSERVATIVE.” to “NATIVE TEXAN. AIR FORCE VETERAN. SMALL BUSINESSMAN. PROVEN CONSERVATIVE.” 1. Eric Flores replaced the phrase “SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AGENDA” with “LOWER THE COST OF LIVING” on his campaign homepage 1. After securing his primary victory in May, Kentucky candidate Ralph Alvarado removed all references to Trump and a photo of the two of them together from his campaign homepage 1. Similarly, Nevada Republican congressional candidate Marty O’Donnell’s website no longer features a pop-up displaying a large picture of Trump and O’Donnell 1. Alaska Republican Rep. Nick Begich altered his homepage opening line from mentioning Trump to “We have delivered for Alaska, putting us on a path to self-determination and generational success.” 1.

Other lawmakers have also expressed their stances or taken distinct political actions. Rep. Mike Lawler stated, “If he comes back, that’s fine, but ultimately this race is going to be decided by my record and my vision.” 1. Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Barrett has repeatedly broken ranks with Republicans to join Democrats in voting for the War Powers Resolution to rein in Trump’s military campaign in Iran 1.