The toxicity of the label 'Republican'

Posted November 09, 2026 4:00 am

In Jim Slusher's Nov. 5 column, he understandably laments that so many qualified Republican candidates lost their election by inadvertently riding President Donald Trump's coattails to electoral oblivion.

Trump has made the word "Republican" toxic, framed by a skull and crossbones. Republican candidates, with that label, suggest support of Trump, and they suffered the consequences.