As they continue to see President Donald Trump dropping precipitously in each new poll, Republicans are growing more worried that their connections to the unpopular president may well wind up costing them control of the U.S. Senate, which could be devastating to the GOP.

Things have gotten so bad that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is on the verge of telling members of his party who are seeking reelection to begin distancing themselves from Trump, according to Reuters:

“Perhaps as soon as August, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may have to advise Republican Senate candidates to distance themselves from Trump if needed to win election and keep their majority.”

But would distancing actually help Republicans this late in the game? All but one of them voted to not find Trump guilty during his impeachment trial, with only Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) being a statesman and deciding to cast a guilty vote on the matter of Trump’s quid pro quo with Ukraine.

Trump has done nothing in recent weeks to help his cause, tweeting out videos of elderly supporters in Florida chanting “white power” and looking like a deer caught in headlights when asked what he had planned for a second term in office by Fox News host Sean Hannity. All of that has members of his party wondering if he has what it takes to pull himself out the electoral tailspin he’s in:

“Trump has outlined his plans in broad strokes that include rebuilding the economy and taking on China, but he has yet to specify what he would do with another four years.

“‘He needs to articulate why he wants a second term,’ said the Republican official familiar with internal White House dynamics.”

Adding another dimension of uncertainty to the Trump reelection effort is the fact that no one seems to be in charge and the names keep changing:

“There have been some discussions of increasing the role of senior adviser Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, who is already heavily involved in the campaign, two officials said.”

The drag on the GOP ticket is Donald Trump. He’s the reason so many Americans are saying the nation is on the wrong track. And all the “distancing” in the world won’t change that.

Featured Image Via NBC News