If Trump wins the Republican nomination, what does it mean for the Republican party—and, more importantly, small business?
There is one question on the minds of the Republican establishment: Can Donald Trump be stopped?
The businessman only picked up on steam Super Tuesday, winning seven states and increasing his delegate count to 319.
What’s Ahead with Trump in the Lead?
David Corn, Washington bureau chief at Mother Jones, writes that Donald Trump is the fuel for a “bloody civil war” among Republicans.
“Trump, the other self-proclaimed revolutionary of 2016, is tearing his party and the conservative movement apart,” he said. “Claiming victory on Tuesday night, Trump declared, ‘I am a unifier.’ But he threatens not only to smash up the GOP but to blow apart the conservative movement.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, along with Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, declared they will not vote for Trump in order to protect Republican seats in the Senate.
“I’m a movement conservative who was elected over the objections of the GOP establishment. My current answer for who I would support in a hypothetical matchup between Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton is: neither of them,” Sasse wrote on his Facebook page.
These senators are not alone. Thirty-five percent of Republicans who don’t back Trump in the primaries said they would definitely not support him in the general election and 13 percent said they probably wouldn’t, according to The Atlantic.
“Nominating Donald Trump would be the best gift the Republican Party could give to Hillary Clinton,” Bobby Jindal, former Louisiana governor, said.
But their gift won’t come without a cost. Small business should expect to see hikes in minimum wage, expansions of Obamacare and paid leave, and more regulations with either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton in office.
At the same time, Donald Trump has resonated with many in the small business community and has long been polling as the favorite candidate among small business owners.
Super Tuesday Results
At the end of Super Tuesday, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio lagged behind Trump with 226 and 110 delegates, respectively. Cruz’s win in Texas, Oklahoma and Alaska kept his campaign afloat. Meanwhile, Marco Rubio won Minnesota and looks to gain momentum in the primary of his home state of Florida.
Here’s some of what the leading Republican candidates had to say about small business issues in their post-voting speeches.
Trump:
“We’re lowering taxes on business. You look at all the companies that are moving out. When you see Pfizer moving to Ireland and you see so many other companies, constantly now they’re leaving.”
Cruz:
“Together we will repeal Obamacare, abolish the IRS, pull back the EPA regulators that are killing small business…. And the results will be small business exploding, high paying jobs, wages going up, and young people coming out of school with two, three, four, five job offers.”
Rubio:
“When I’m president, we are going to reduce our taxes and regulations. We are going to save social security and Medicare and balance our budget…. And my plan is a lot more than just getting rid of the lines around the states. On healthcare, we are going to repeal and replace Obamacare once and for all.”
*Note: This news coverage does not equate to an endorsement of any candidate by NFIB
