The reasons for not supporting Donald Trump, the deadbeat, from his sleazy treatment of women to his cheating and scams, can by now fill far more inches than there are in a simple news column of print.

The one single thing I find that makes him completely ineligible to lead our great multicultural country is his pronounced racism.

This is someone not only challenged by the federal government with a lawsuit accusing his family's real estate company of systemically refusing to rent its New York apartments to black people, but who to this day refuses to renounce political support from white supremacists.

Even House Speaker Paul Ryan labeled Trump's rejection of an American judge of Mexican heritage as "classic racism."

We didn't need to see his craven and nasty tweet storms attacking a Muslim Gold Star family or a Latina beauty queen to see his racism firsthand. This is the candidate who proposed barring an entire religion from the country and recommends profiling those of that faith who are legally here.

Many respectable Republicans, including a couple of former presidents, have rejected this hateful racist candidate.

Not many in Connecticut have, though, which leads me to believe we Connecticut voters should reject those Republican candidates who support the racist at the head of the ticket they are running on.

This is important. It speaks to the heart and soul of our country.

And I have to say I'm tired of hearing these candidates complain how they are mad that Hillary Clinton tried to keep her email private. I'm sorry but that big mistake pales next to the great sin of racism, or of making a career and a fortune out of cheating the little people.

Here in eastern Connecticut there has been a lot of slipping and sliding by GOP politicians on the Trump candidacy.

I would normally give my friend and First Selectman Rob Simmons of Stonington a pass, since he is not on the ballot this election.

But he does win the prize for Trump equivocation among prominent Connecticut Republicans. At a panel at the Fox Theater before the Clinton-Trump debate, he threw insults at "Crooked Hillary" and red meat, all kinds of Trump praise, to the cheering Trump crowd, suggesting he's the candidate we need to lead the country to change.

But then he denied endorsing Trump. Huh?

Heather Somers of Groton, who is running for state Senate, made a big point of not actually speaking Trump's name when endorsing her party's candidate for president.

Sorry, but since you couldn't find the courage to reject the racist at the head of your ticket, I'm not going to find your name on the ballot in my voting booth.

John Scott of Groton, running for the House 40th District seat, incredibly refused outright to answer the Trump question, suggesting that somehow Connecticut government circles in its own orbit, unconnected to the federal government and its politics and funding and mandates.

The most ludicrous endorsement I've heard for Trump this season came from state Sen. Art Linares, defending his 33rd District seat against Democrat Norm Needleman.

Linares, whose solar company benefits enormously by state support of the high rates it is paid for the electricity it generates as well as generous federal tax credits for renewable energy, is supporting the climate change denier at the head of his ticket.

The most laughable Trump endorsement I've heard came just Tuesday from the Republican in the House 46th District race, Rob Dempsky, who used a slander apparently lifted from a Trump attack on the Clinton Foundation. Look it up for yourselves, Dempsky told the debate audience Tuesday.

I did, and I learned the claim got four Pinocchios from the Washington Post fact checkers for being totally false.

Sen. Paul Formica tried the lesser of two evils in his Trump endorsement, but, alas, went down the racist's rabbit hole.

The best answer I heard from a Republican candidate here to the Trump question came from Joseph Mark Taraya, a Navy vet running in the 139th House District, who has promised to donate his House salary to local schools.

Taraya said last week he can't vote for Clinton and bravely added he can't endorse Trump, who he believes is hiding something in not releasing his taxes. Now we know Taraya was right.

Taraya said he might vote on the Richard Pryor plan, after the 1985 movie "None of the Above."

This is the opinion of David Collins.

d.collins@theday.com