End discord: Republicans need to get behind their nominee

The floor battle Monday at the Republican National Convention was something that pundits had predicted for months. Many delegates apparently are still in opposition to the nomination of Donald Trump as the party's presidential candidate.

So it came as no surprise when those opponents tried to keep alive a drive to stop him from gaining the top spot on the ticket.

As expected, they fell short.

Despite the momentary interruption, the Trump train is headed toward the nomination. The naysayers need to give it up, at last, and start getting behind their party's presumptive nominee. Trump has not always displayed the qualities that Americans have come to expect from a presidential candidate. He is a maverick. But that is exactly what voters across the country have asked for in primary after primary -- a candidate who does not fit the Washington mold.

If the GOP is to keep Hillary Clinton from winning the White House, it must become united behind its candidate. On the eve of Trump's ascent it is time for the discord to end.

Published in Editorials on July 19, 2016 10:00 AM