The chairman of the Senate Republican campaign arm told reporters he was advising colleagues facing tough contests for re-election to stay away from the GOP convention in Cleveland this summer, The Hill reported Tuesday.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) told reporters that his colleagues shouldn’t participate in a fight for delegates among Republican presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Donald Trump.
“If there’s going to be a brouhaha, I’m advising candidates to be present for more unifying events,” Wicker said, according to The Hill.
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) was the first GOP senator to say he won’t attend the convention and instead plans to focus on his re-election campaign. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also has said he won’t attend in order to work on his own re-election.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), who will serve as the Republican National Convention chair in July, has urged GOP lawmakers to attend, arguing that they shouldn’t be worried about being tied to the eventual nominee.
