[caption id="attachment_167405" align="aligncenter" width="1024"](AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)
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By ANNA GIARITELLI, Washington Examiner
Nearly three-quarters of Penn State College Republicans do not support Donald Trump for president, according to a letter the group released late Thursday.
The overwhelming disfavor prompted the organization to publicly announce its decision not to endorse the GOP nominee, an indicator the battleground state may present itself as a significant challenge for Trump to win in November, where Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has a 9-point lead over Trump, according to aRealClearPolitics average.
Penn State College Republicans have played a role in campaign issues since 1940. The group's executive group said despite its long history of backing the conservative party's representative, it will forgo that action this year, joining similar GOP groups at Harvard and Princeton Universities.
"Our membership was given the chance to vote on whether they would support Donald Trump. We found that a vast majority of the membership, roughly 72 percent, was against having us support him," the group wrote.