Will Donald Trump win the pivotal endorsement of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan? Though the question is still up in the air, Republicans themselves have weighed in. Almost two thirds of likely GOP primary voters — 64 percent — say Mr. Ryan should just go ahead and endorse Mr. Trump for president. Only 19 percent veto the idea; the rest are either unsure or simply don’t care. So says a YouGov poll released Friday.
“What may be more important to Republicans — and of concern to Speaker Ryan — is that Republican voters like Trump more than they like Ryan. So in any conflict between the two, Republican voters may be more likely to side with their party’s presumptive presidential nominee,” said analyst Kathy Frankovic.
The survey found that 49 percent have a favorable opinion of Mr. Trump; 44 percent feel the same about Mr. Ryan. Ms. Frankovic also noted that 49 percent of the Republican voters disapprove of how Mr. Ryan is handling his job as speaker.
Americans overall have mixed opinions about the endorsement: 39 percent gave a thumbs down to the idea while 30 percent approved. Another 22 percent did not care one way or the other, while 9 percent were not sure.
The survey of 2,000 U.S. adults was conducted May 5-9; the sample included 515 likely Republican primary voters.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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