Given the rise of Trump and his supporters within the Republican Party, Republican operatives have begun taking matters into their own hands. With increasing frequency, GOP elites have been meeting in secret to plan a way to save the party in November and beyond, all while coming under immense threats by Trump and his emboldened supporters who lately have been preaching violence. Far from the party of Lincoln and Reagan, Trump has created a prejudiced voting bloc of Republican voters.

Since Senator Rubio suspended his campaign after losing Florida, the desperation within the GOP has only grown. Trump is currently sitting right on the edge of clinching the majority of delegates for the Republican convention in Ohio. Given the possibility of not securing the nod from binding delegates, Trump has threatened violence on the convention floor. This behavior, accompanied by a history of prejudicial comments about women and minorities, is not fitting of a Presidential nominee.

Noticing the implication of a potential Trump nomination, the party is in a full blown panic to save down ballot races. It is no longer a question of if a Trump nomination would hurt Republicans in House and Senate races, but how to minimize the damage. That is the very reason for closed door meetings. This election is no longer about beating Hillary (a foregone conclusion with a Trump nomination), but preserving the identity of the GOP and maintaining it as a singular political entity. Conservatives and moderates alike have been quick to denounce the antics of Trump and his supporters, even some going as far as to call the methods against the American way.

Only now are the down ballot implications picking up some coverage in the media after several congressional races have been downgraded for Republican candidates. According to Cook Political, a non-partisan group, the last 5 Senate and 15 House race changes have moved in favor of Democrats. This is largely attributed to the negative favorability of the Republican front-runner among key groups: women and Latinos.

While even I have come acknowledge that Hillary Clinton is being handed the White House due to the foolish voting of the Republican Party (barring a sudden reversal of GOP voting behavior), Congress cannot be lost too. Before the 2016 race began, Senate control was in question and the House was considered safe for the GOP. Now, both chambers could swing to the left with a Trump nomination. It is time for the GOP electorate to wake up to the lack of real policy proposals from the Trump campaign and demand a serious candidate, not one who only engages in flippant self-validation at every turn.