With less than four months until November’s presidential election, local GOP officials have different reactions to Donald Trump’s candidacy.

District 27A Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, said though she will not endorse anyone for president, she wants citizens to vote.

She said there are positives and negatives to Trump. Benefits Bennett cited include what she deems as Trump’s refusal to abide by political correctness — something Bennett deems as having resulted in a censorship in ideas and possible solutions. She said she also likes Trump’s refusal to put his finger to the political wind and to address the issues.

She said some of Trump’s weaknesses include how he talks about individuals and calls people names, noting she thinks the rhetoric puts up walls so people do not work together.

Bennett said Trump’s selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate will hopefully create some balance, noting that Pence sounds like a stable individual.

She spoke against what she called each party’s willingness to present a false image of their opponent.

“I hate that part of politics,” Bennett said. “People deserve to know the truth about the candidates so they can make an informed vote and not have to hear all these half truths and twisted lies. I’ve always hated that part of politics.”

Trump’s status as the presumptive nominee has drawn support and ire in the Republican Party. While senators Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have expressed their support for Trump’s candidacy, other prominent Republicans have refused to endorse him, such as former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Freeborn County GOP member Jerrold “Mike” Dettle said he plans to vote for Trump because he sees Trump as being a capitalist, noting he thinks Clinton is a “left-wing socialist.”

Dettle said Trump’s personality is based on his residence in New York City, noting he thinks people from that section of the country are typically more outspoken than midwesterners.

He said though he is not sure of how good of a president Trump would be if elected, he is concerned about scandals present throughout Clinton’s career.

Trump is planned to be endorsed by the Republican Party at the Republican National Convention this week in Cleveland. Trump bested more than a dozen Republicans for the nomination, such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich.

Freeborn County GOP Party Chairman Brian Hensley said he plans to vote for Trump in November, noting that though there were a lot of concerns over his candidacy over the last six months, his concerns have been soothed by Trump verbalizing more policy details on lowering taxes and increasing border security.

He said he trusts Trump to be able to work with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and the rest of Congress better than Clinton to improve the economy.

Hensley supports Trump’s selection of Mike Pence as his running mate, noting though he is wary of Trump’s position on trade, he thinks Trump’s selection of Pence as a running mate will show where he is on certain issues.