Bat­tle­ground Repub­li­cans pre­pare to run with felon Trump at top of tick­et

Vul­ner­a­ble Repub­li­cans are large­ly falling in line behind for­mer Pres­i­dent Don­ald Trump despite the dan­ger his con­vic­tion presents to Repub­li­can con­trol of Con­gress next year.
The Thurs­day ver­dict, relat­ed to Trump’s efforts to con­ceal a hush mon­ey pay­ment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 elec­tion, could shape the pres­i­den­tial race in unpre­dictable ways. The con­vic­tion might moti­vate turnout among Repub­li­cans but is seen as a turnoff to vot­ers in the sub­urbs.
Nonethe­less, vul­ner­a­ble incum­bents appear to be embrac­ing the guilty ver­dict, hop­ing Trump’s claim that he is the vic­tim of a polit­i­cal pros­e­cu­tion will res­onate in their states and dis­tricts.
“This is how we are going to do pol­i­tics now? Not through spir­it­ed debates, but by weaponiz­ing the jus­tice and court sys­tem to attack a polit­i­cal rival right before the elec­tion?” asked Rep. Marc Moli …