Is the Republican establishment making a last-ditch move to take down Donald Trump?
As the Iowa caucuses near, a newly minted super PAC is launching a television campaign in the state, questioning the billionaire developer’s commitment to conservative issues. Our Principles PAC, run by a former top aide to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, uses Trump’s own words on issues, such as partial-birth abortion and universal health care, to ask Iowa caucusgoers, “Can we trust Donald Trump?”
The ad began airing Tuesday, said Katie Packer, who runs the super PAC and was Romney’s deputy campaign manager.
Packer, who describes herself as having roots in the GOP’s evangelical wing, said Trump “has been going around and portraying himself as a conservative, and he obviously is not.”
“We want voters to hear for themselves how flimsy he is on some of these critical issues,” she told USA TODAY. “He doesn’t seem to have any kind of philosophical anchor… Right now, he’s winning because of his personality.”
Trump campaign aides did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Packer called the ad buy “very substantial” and said “there will be more to come. She would neither confirm nor deny reports that the group was spending at least $1 million on the ad, first reported by Politico.
The spending comes on top of more than $280,000 the group has spent on mailers and other voter contacts since the group sprang into existence Jan. 14, federal records show.
The group also has launched a website that delves into Trump’s past statements.
Packer declined to identify the group’s donors, saying only that they share her view “that our party needs to nominate someone who is a principled conservative.”
The super PAC won’t have to disclose its contributors' names until Feb. 20 — after Monday’s caucuses in Iowa and the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary.
The super PAC’s move represents one of the most forceful outside attacks on Trump, who leads most national polls and is battling with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for the top slot in Iowa. GOP establishment figures have expressed frustration both with Trump and Cruz, a firebrand conservative who has clashed with his party's leadership in the Senate. But most groups aligned with top Republican donors have not trained much of their firepower on those contenders.
"I would have loved to see some of the other groups that have big dollars step up," Packer said, when asked about her last-minute effort against Trump.
A pro-Cruz super PAC, Keep the Promise I, is striking similar themes to the Packer ad.
The group, tied to hedge-fund billionaire Robert Mercer, unleashed two commercials this week that highlight Trump’s statements on abortion and health care. On Monday, Cruz cast himself as the only candidate standing between Trump and the Republican nomination.
As the Iowa caucuses near, a newly minted super PAC is launching a television campaign in the state, questioning the billionaire developer’s commitment to conservative issues. Our Principles PAC, run by a former top aide to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, uses Trump’s own words on issues, such as partial-birth abortion and universal health care, to ask Iowa caucusgoers, “Can we trust Donald Trump?”
The ad began airing Tuesday, said Katie Packer, who runs the super PAC and was Romney’s deputy campaign manager.
Packer, who describes herself as having roots in the GOP’s evangelical wing, said Trump “has been going around and portraying himself as a conservative, and he obviously is not.”
“We want voters to hear for themselves how flimsy he is on some of these critical issues,” she told USA TODAY. “He doesn’t seem to have any kind of philosophical anchor… Right now, he’s winning because of his personality.”
Trump campaign aides did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Packer called the ad buy “very substantial” and said “there will be more to come. She would neither confirm nor deny reports that the group was spending at least $1 million on the ad, first reported by Politico.
The spending comes on top of more than $280,000 the group has spent on mailers and other voter contacts since the group sprang into existence Jan. 14, federal records show.
The group also has launched a website that delves into Trump’s past statements.
Packer declined to identify the group’s donors, saying only that they share her view “that our party needs to nominate someone who is a principled conservative.”
The super PAC won’t have to disclose its contributors' names until Feb. 20 — after Monday’s caucuses in Iowa and the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary.
The super PAC’s move represents one of the most forceful outside attacks on Trump, who leads most national polls and is battling with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for the top slot in Iowa. GOP establishment figures have expressed frustration both with Trump and Cruz, a firebrand conservative who has clashed with his party's leadership in the Senate. But most groups aligned with top Republican donors have not trained much of their firepower on those contenders.
"I would have loved to see some of the other groups that have big dollars step up," Packer said, when asked about her last-minute effort against Trump.
A pro-Cruz super PAC, Keep the Promise I, is striking similar themes to the Packer ad.
The group, tied to hedge-fund billionaire Robert Mercer, unleashed two commercials this week that highlight Trump’s statements on abortion and health care. On Monday, Cruz cast himself as the only candidate standing between Trump and the Republican nomination.
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