Trump win puts Nevada pols in tight spot

This just in: The ratings for the Donald Trump reality show are so good, the network has ordered a full season’s worth of episodes! It’s going to be on the air at least until November.

Like with any big hit, not everybody enjoyed the mid-season finale, in which Trump trumped the moderates (Ohio Gov. John Kasich) and the conservatives (Texas Sen. Ted Cruz), which took the show in a whole new direction. Some of the longtime fans are still not sure what to make of the on-air developments.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan — who has to worry about retaining his majority and keeping the people who comprise it happy — declined to don the Trump hat. “I’m just not ready to do that at this point. I’m not there right now,” Ryan told CNN.

And why? Because Trump failed to perform the first miracle required for GOP canonization. According to CNN, “Ryan said he wants Trump to unify ‘all wings of the Republican Party and the conservative movement’ and then run a campaign that will allow Americans to ‘have something that they’re proud to support and proud to be a part of. And we’ve got a ways to go from here to there,’ Ryan said.”

Ah, yes we do.

In Nevada, reactions to the fan favorite ranged from “sure, why not?” to “I guess so” to “whatever.”

Both Reps. Cresent Hardy and Joe Heck had their spokesmen report that they will support the Republican nominee, but are focusing on their own races. It was just a few months ago that Heck was saying he didn’t think Trump tropes such as building a big, magnificent wall on the Southern border or temporarily banning Muslims from entering the country were good ideas. Back in December, Heck declined to endorse Trump.

It’s worth asking, if you have to hold your nose that hard, is sticking with party uber alles really worth it?

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, not up for re-election until 2018, said he wouldn’t vote for Trump, but wouldn’t go with Clinton, either.

“I vehemently oppose our nominee in some of the comments and issues that he brought up during the campaign,” Heller said. “Things he says about Muslims, issues he brought up about women and the Hispanic community. I just cannot agree with some of his positions. But I will tell you that I will not be voting for Hillary Clinton. I stated that early on. I will not be supporting a candidate that is nothing more than a third term of the Obama administration. So I will be looking elsewhere in November.”

And by “elsewhere,” he doesn’t mean Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, a former New Mexico governor. Instead, Heller implied he might make use of Nevada’s unique “None of these Candidates” option.

Gov. Brian Sandoval — who’s been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate on the Republican ticket — reluctantly endorsed Trump.

“Now that he [Kasich] has dropped out of the race, I plan to vote for the presumptive nominee although it is no secret that we do not agree on every issue,” Sandoval said in a statement. “Elections are about making choices and the Democratic nominee is simply not an option.”

And why not, governor? On paper, Sandoval has more in common with Hillary Clinton than with Trump: He expanded Medicare under the Affordable Care Act, established a state-based insurance exchange, led the way on a package of education reforms and paid for it in part with a new commerce tax on businesses. If anything, Sandoval’s career stands for common-sense, broad consensus, moderate solutions to vexing problems.

That sounds a lot more like Clinton than Trump, who stands for ridiculous solutions to serious problems, the kinds of things that won’t work in real-world government, but sure go down easy on TV. If you don’t believe it, just check the ratings.

Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist and co-host of the show PoliticsNOW, airing at 5:30 p.m. Sundays on 8NewsNow. Follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at 702-387-5276 or SSebelius@reviewjournal.com.