I know at this point there's little more to say, but I will add that I think there is a material difference between a voter and a candidate.
Recent events have made me more of a blue-dog Democrat than ever. I think if you run for office on a Republican ticket, it requires that you sign on to the party's policy, whether you think you're doing it or not. Candidacy as a Republican requires not just affiliation but active complicity in implementing the policy of the party, and until further notice, I will not vote for anyone, no matter the details, who does not find that option too repugnant to bear.
But I think that all-or-nothing attitude when it comes to argument on issues, questions of political orientation, and interaction with voters themselves, is a mistake. People have varied mixtures of opinion, and to lump them together represents the kind of scorched-earth polarization which the Republican party has applied to such effect. Too many people work and think in headlines and slogans, too many people let them stand in for argument, and too many voters, I think, vote on them. Own the libs, make America great again, and screw the details.
Even the best causes can have too high a price, and that goes for everyone, not just them.