Republican U.S. Senate nominee Joe O’Dea did not shy away from responding to former President Donald Trump after the latter accused him of being a Republican in name only (RINO) on Monday.
“I’m a construction guy, not a politician. President Trump is entitled to his opinion but I’m my own man and I’ll call it like I see it. Another Biden, Trump election will tear this country apart,” O’Dea said in a statement to CNN. O’Dea also stated that he believes “DeSantis, Scott, Pompeo or Haley” would be “better choices” for the Republican nomination, adding that these next elections should focus on “Joe Biden’s failures” and not be a repeat of 2020. “America needs to move forward,” he said.
“I’m going to actively campaign against Donald Trump and make sure that we’ve got four or five really great Republicans right now,” said Colorado Republican Senate nominee Joe O’Dea. https://t.co/eR0w05PbJN
— The Hill (@thehill) October 17, 2022
His statement comes on the heels of criticism leveled at him from Trump, who took to social media to call out O’Dea for wanting to distance himself from the MAGA movement after the nominee told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday that he didn’t think Trump should run for office again. (RELATED: Massachusetts GOP Gov. Charlie Baker Refuses To Endorse, Campaign With Nominee Diehl)
“I’m going to actively campaign against Donald Trump and make sure that we have got four or five really great Republicans right now,” O’Dea said on “State of the Union” on Sunday. “Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, they could run and serve for eight years. I’m going to do my job as a U.S. senator to make sure that they have good campaigns in the primary here, so we have a good selection of candidates for 2024,” he added.
O’ Dea is currently in a tight race with Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and GOP leaders are hoping he can pull off an upset in a state considered “the bluer side of purple,” Politico reported.
