Trump supporters attend a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Paula Barche Rupnik, 58 years old, Republican voter in Scottsdale, Arizona, plans to vote for Senator John McCain to help him win re-election in the US Senate election taking place on the same day as the August 8 presidential election.

Instead, she plans to vote for billionaire Trump and Democratic congressman Ann Kirkpatrick, Mr. McCain’s opponent in the race for the Senate seat representing Arizona.

`I want to send a message to John McCain. If Trump is not elected, American voters who support Trump will blame the Republicans who do not support him,` Ms. Rupnik said.

The punishment stemming from Rupnik’s anger shows the deadlock that Republican leaders are facing as they enter the final four weeks of campaigning, according to the New York Times.

Critical strike

According to commentator Maggie Habermana, if they still stick with Trump after the scandal of leaking videos of him bragging about groping women, Republican candidates running for congressional seats will have to suffer heavy attacks from

If Trump falls to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, defeat in the Senate seat races could be a fatal blow to a political party that is reeling and trying to find opportunities to strengthen its strength.

A survey conducted by NBC News/Wall Street Journal just before the presidential debate on October 9 showed that support for Mr. Trump was slipping, helping Mrs. Clinton gain an 11-point lead nationally.

However, Trump still has loyal supporters who follow him to the end.

`The Republican establishment is trying to hold on to power and McCain is one of them,` Rupnik said.

This is also a common topic mentioned in interviews conducted by the New York Times on October 9 with Trump supporters in Arizona and New Hampshire, two states that are having tight races for Senate seats.

Stephen Cotta, 61, a US Navy veteran, from Tempe, Arizona, described Mr. McCain as a `traitor` and agreed with Trump’s opinion that McCain was `not a war hero.`

`You can see that McCain and Clinton are not too different in their views. That is why they confront Trump so harshly,` Mr. Cotta commented.

Vera Anderson, 75 years old, in Phoenix, Arizona, said she previously voted for McCain but now decided to oppose when she learned he turned his back on Trump.

`I was really hesitant about voting for McCain. I didn’t want to, but what happened recently made me make a decision: I will not vote for him in this general election,` she asserted.

Anderson ignored the public outrage surrounding the video recording Trump’s vulgar statements about women.

`No one wants to hear things like that, but to me, it’s an unimportant issue so I don’t pay attention at all. You know, for me, this is a private story in the men’s locker room.`

Angry

Trump supporters chant outside Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York.

Similar anger also appeared among Mr. Trump’s supporters in New Hampshire, where Republican senator Kelly Ayotte is competing fiercely against her Democratic opponent, governor Maggie Hassan.

`I think the Republicans have eliminated themselves from the Senate race,` said Buddy Greene, a 48-year-old builder in Center Harbor, New Hampshire.

Greene asserted that Ms. Ayotte had lost his support.

Greene said he admires Trump’s speaking style and believes there will be `checks and balances` in place to prevent him from acting impulsively as president.

When a teenager, listening to Greene’s interview with a New York Times reporter, argued that Clinton had more political experience, Greene laughed and said, `That’s why I like Trump. He has no experience.`

Some other Trump supporters in New Hampshire said they still voted for Ms. Ayotte but with reluctance.

One of these people is Eric Granfors, a truck driver in the city of Nashua.

Ms. Kelly Ayotte, Republican senatorial candidate representing New Hampshire.

See more: Donald Trump’s stormy Sunday

Hong Van