TheChat: Republicans once again pulling away from Donald Trump

Good morning.

▪ ▪ “Trump’s latest statements, in context with past attacks on Hispanics, women and the disabled like me, make it certain that I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for president regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party.” _ Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, a Republican, who has reversed course and withdrawn his support from the presumptive GOP nominee.

Kirk faces a difficult re-election fight. His decision puts pressure on other vulnerable GOP incumbents to follow course.

▪ “They have to get over it.” — Trump to his GOP critics.

The GOP nominee said those who criticize him shouldn’t be “so angry for so long.”

▪ “Our tax rate isn’t just higher than Kansas, it’s higher than Illinois. But we need to do it responsibly and over time so that we can preserve the quality of our schools, our roads and law enforcement.” — Missouri GOP gubernatorial candidate Catherine Hanaway on the need to cut taxes.

But Hanaway makes it clear that she doesn’t want to do it the way Kansas did. Note her use of the word “responsibly.”

▪ “It remains to be seen whether he and Republican legislative leaders want to comply with the Gannon equity order in a bipartisan way. Or, will they once again push through legislation that sets up yet another confrontation with the Kansas Supreme Court?” — Kansas state Sen. Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat and the Senate minority leader, on Gov. Sam Brownback calling a special session to deal with education funding.

Hensley has neatly captured a significant question as lawmakers gear up to return to the state Capitol later this month with the threat of school closings hanging over them.