Bronx GOP grapples with Trump

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Republicans in the Bronx are facing the same dilemma as leaders of their party on the national level: what to do about the likely nomination of Donald Trump for president?

The Bronx County GOP has not endorsed a candidate in the race, but chairman John Greaney said he is shifting his personal support from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio to Mr. Trump.

“He is the future of the party, a great speaker, smart and articulate,” Mr. Greaney said of Mr. Rubio. “He is the face of the future, especially in our borough because of its diversity.” 

“Of course, I’m loyal to the party and I believe he would be a great executive,” he said of Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump swept New York State’s April 19 presidential primary, winning 60.4 percent of the ballot. While just 7,277 Republicans voted in the Bronx, about 65 percent helped Mr. Trump win the borough, according to certified results from the Board of Elections in the City of New York.

Asked if other Republican leaders are ready to support Mr. Trump, Mr. Greaney changed the topic to Democratic voters.

“A lot of Democrats are coming out and saying they’ll support Trump,” Mr. Greaney claimed, saying it was because they do not like leading Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Bronx state Sen. Rev. Rubén Díaz, Sr. made local headlines last month when he appeared alongside U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz during campaign stops throughout the borough.

Rev. Díaz stopped short of an explicit endorsement of Mr. Trump, whose comments about immigrants have drawn the wrath of Latino organizations, but indicated he would ultimately support the real estate figure.

The state senator, a Democrat who often votes with Republicans on social issues, said people in the Bronx are afraid to voice their support for Mr. Trump out of fear of criticism from their neighbors.

Still, one Republican leader in the northwest Bronx is opting against Mr. Trump.

John Martin, the male Republican district leader for the 81st Assembly district, said he had supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who dropped out of the race following a series of primary losses to Mr. Trump.

“I thought [Mr. Kasich] had the best chance of winning because he has a long record in local government, proved himself with Democrats and has a message which resonates with a broad range of voters,” Mr. Martin said.

He added that he will not vote for Mr. Trump since the candidate’s ideas “alienate too many.”

Mr. Martin now plans to support Gary Johnson, a former governor of New Mexico who is running for president as a libertarian. Mr. Martin called him a classic conservative on the economy and said the candidate is open-minded about social issues.

“He is in favor of a smaller, more effective federal government,” Mr. Martin said of Mr. Johnson.

The prospect of a Clinton-versus-Trump presidential ballot in November did not inspire Riverdale resident Charles Moerdler, one of the few public figures here who is openly a registered Republican. 

Mr. Moerdler, who chairs Community Board 8’s Land Use Committee and sits on the board of the MTA, said he originally supported Mr. Kasich. 

“I know Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton, and I don’t want either to be president,” he said. “I don’t trust or believe Mrs. Clinton and I don’t believe Mr. Trump has the right qualifications.”

Asked whether he would ultimately vote for Mr. Trump, he laughed and said, “At the moment, I’m voting for Mickey Mouse.”

Robert Siano, a lawyer who unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for Bronx district attorney last year, also described himself as a Kasich fan. But like an increasing number of Republicans around the country, he is warming to Mr. Trump’s candidacy.

Mr. Siano said Mr. Trump has the power to “unify the party to get past the negative publicity.”

Donald Trump, John Greaney, Rev. Ruben Diaz, Charles Moerdler, Jennifer Purdy

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