Dave Reichert is running for Washington governor as a Republican.
He hasn’t answered questions about whether he’ll vote for Trump, but privately told a Republican group he will — and doesn’t want swing voters to know.
That’s because Trump is unpopular here, and Reichert thinks that would be a “nail in the coffin” for his chances. Read story here.
This is significant because mid-May polling shows a large percentage of undecided voters (that’s happening nationally; see related story here).
The Democratic and Republican frontrunners, Ferguson and Reichert, should easily win the primary and make the November ballot. That’s when swing voters become important. Reichert will need independent voters in a state that hasn’t elected a GOP governor since 1980.
He doesn’t have to divulge which presidential candidate he’ll vote for. Everyone is entitled to a secret ballot. That’s not what’s wrong; being sneaky is. He wants Republican insiders to know he supports Trump, but doesn’t want swing voters to know.
But if he won’t trust them with that information, why should they trust him with the office of governor? What else will he withhold from voters when they make their choice?