The Ted Cruz and John Kasich campaigns announced apparent coordinated strategies to combat Donald Trump in select upcoming primaries – an effort to force an open convention when the Republican National Committee gathers in Cleveland in July.
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In a statement, Mr Cruz’s campaign said he would focus on In and give Mr Kasich a clearer shot In OR and New Mexico – states where the Ohio Governor expects to do well.
With typical bullishness, Mr. Trump responded to the surprise news via Twitter: “Wow, just announced that Lyin’ Ted and Kasich are going to collude in order to keep me from getting the Republican nomination”.
Speaking in front of a rally crowd in Warwick, Trump says of Kasich that “I have never seen a human being eat in such a disgusting fashion”.
“Marco Rubio, as an example, has more delegates than Kasich and yet suspended his campaign one month ago”, said Trump.
Mr. Trump has so far secured 845 delegates, while Mr. Cruz has 559 and Mr. Kasich 148. The billionaire is poised for a strong performance Tuesday, when Republicans in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island head to the polls.
Campaign manager John Weaver said in his statement that the Kasich team hoped to perform well in OR and New Mexico, which Weaver said were “structurally similar” to northeastern states where Kasich performed well earlier in the cycle.
He took 89 of the state’s 95 delegates and is now more than two-thirds of the way to the magic number of the 1,237 majority needed to be the Republican nominee.
Trump’s incendiary campaign – he has called some Mexicans “rapists”, vowed to build a wall on the southern United States border and wants to bar Muslims from entering the country – has infuriated the Republican establishment.
Democrats, including Clinton, have criticised Koch and his brother, David Koch, for using their wealth and a huge funding network they helped organise to support politicians, usually Republican ones, who reflect their opposition to government regulation of industry. If Sanders fails to win significantly in the latest primaries, he won’t have another chance to draw closer in a big way until California votes on June 7.
The move allows Kasich to focus on two smaller-market states where his limited campaign cash might have greater impact than it would in Indiana.
“I do believe there are some Republicans that feel strongly that they’re not sure where Donald Trump actually stands”, said Eric Tanenblatt, a longtime Republican fundraiser who supported Jeb Bush this cycle.
This is not to say Cruz and Kasich are suddenly best buds.
Trump grabbed the backing of 57% of people who said they strongly support a candidate, leading among 52% of men and 52% of those who do not hold a college degree. Both campaigns have each sought to be the one that denies Trump a first-ballot win at the Republican convention. In other states holding their elections for the remainder of the primary season, our campaign will continue to compete vigorously to win.
“I think there is a case to be made that Ted Cruz is a marginally better candidate than Donald Trump all around, but the bar is extremely low”, said Justin Barasky, communications director for Priorities USA, the main super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton.
The two statements were the only public comments Sunday night from the campaigns, and notably only refer to three states – Indiana, New Mexico and Oregon.
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Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist in Florida who worked for Obama in 2008, said Clinton’s campaign needs to begin hiring staff, opening offices and recruiting and training volunteers in battleground states. Also, approximately 80% of the Republican Party is against him. In return, the Cruz campaign will “clear the path” for Kasich in OR and New Mexico. If Mr Trump does not win the nomination in the first ballot, delegates are then free to vote as they please.
