Advertisement

Cruz-Kasich alliance against Trump quickly weakens (w/video)

 
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Hagerstown, Md., on Sunday. [Associated Press]
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Hagerstown, Md., on Sunday. [Associated Press]
Published April 26, 2016

The temporary alliance between Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, formed to deny Donald Trump the Republican presidential nomination, was already fraying almost to the point of irrelevance Monday, only hours after it was announced to great fanfare.

The two candidates agreed to cede forthcoming states to each other — Kasich would stand down in Indiana's primary on May 3 to give Cruz a better chance to defeat Trump there, while Cruz would leave Oregon and New Mexico to Kasich. The agreement appeared to be a measure of last resort, but initially it seemed like a breakthrough,

Cruz trumpeted what he called the "big news" in Indiana, a state that appears pivotal to stopping Trump from winning a majority of delegates. "John Kasich has decided to pull out of Indiana to give us a head-to-head contest with Donald Trump," the Texas senator said.

But at his own campaign stop in Philadelphia on Monday, Kasich tamped down Cruz's triumphalism. Voters in Indiana, Kasich said, "ought to vote for me," even if he would not be campaigning publicly there. He added: "I don't see this as any big deal."

Under the best of circumstances, the arrangement between Cruz and Kasich would seem to be a long shot — more of an expedient to stop Trump from taking a big step toward winning the nomination next week in Indiana than a permanent joining of forces.

Far from forming any kind of unity ticket, Trump's surviving challengers have both vowed to triumph in an open convention in Cleveland, and they remain irreconcilable on key matters of policy. Their agreement dealt only with three states, leaving an open question as to how directly they might compete with each other everywhere else.

Even in Indiana, emerging as the most important state, the Cruz-Kasich pact appeared something less than decisive. While Kasich's campaign canceled his public appearances in the state, the governor was still slated to visit Indianapolis on today for a fundraising event. And he still had meetings scheduled with a series of Indiana Republicans, including Gov. Mike Pence, according to a leading Republican in the state.

VIDEO: Trump blasts Cruz-Kasich plan

Cruz's campaign privately advised supporters Sunday not to endorse tactical voting, whereby his supporters might switch their allegiance to Kasich in states where the Ohio governor is running stronger against Trump. "We never tell voters whom to vote for," read the suggested Cruz talking point. "We're simply letting folks know where we will be focusing our time and resources."

Trump, who has taunted his opponents throughout the race for their Keystone Kops approach to undermining his campaign, seemed to relish the continuing strain between his remaining rivals. On Twitter, he mocked "Lyin' Ted Cruz" and "1 for 38 Kasich," referring to the latter's dismal winning record in the Republican race, for being unable to beat him on their own.

"So they have to team up (collusion) in a two on one," Trump wrote. "Shows weakness!"

At a campaign rally in Rhode Island, Trump boasted that his opponents were united against him and said he welcomed their "collusion."

"Actually I was happy," he said, "because it shows how weak they are."

Allies of both Cruz and Kasich did not exactly disagree with that assessment and acknowledged that the prospect of imminent disaster in Indiana had been the impetus to finalize their deal, such as it is.

Still, aides to Cruz and Kasich seem acutely aware that they risk turning off voters who find the arrangement unseemly. Even before his rivals' agreement, Trump had complained repeatedly that the nominating process was "rigged" against him.

With Trump expected to win all five of the East Coast states that vote today, the next opportunity to slow his campaign will come a week later in Indiana. Republicans believe he must be stopped there if they are to deny him the nomination.

"Indiana is a must-win for Ted Cruz, and it's a must-win for anybody who doesn't think Donald Trump should be the nominee," said David McIntosh, the president of the Club for Growth, a conservative group opposed to Trump and supportive of Cruz. The group is airing an ad in Indiana urging voters to vote for Cruz, not Kasich, to stop Trump, and officials said they intended to keep it on the air despite the agreement.

On Monday, Trusted Leadership PAC, a group supporting Cruz, said it also planned to keep a previously announced attack ad against Kasich on the air in Indiana. The group added, though, that it had shelved advertising plans in Oregon, whose election is May 17, and New Mexico, which votes on June 7.

Charles Black Jr., an adviser to Kasich, said it would be helpful to his candidate — and "a big blow to Trump" — for Cruz to win Indiana. The point of announcing the deal, Black said, was to indicate to outside super PACs where the campaigns and candidates were marshaling their resources.

Black played down the degree to which voters would cast their ballots strategically, switching allegiance between candidates to thwart Trump. "Either the guy gets to 1,237 or he doesn't," he said. "Voters don't focus on this tactical, inside baseball stuff."

A candidate needs 1,237 delegates to win the nomination.

Trump agrees to interview with Kelly

Megyn Kelly and Donald Trump have reached a détente: Trump will appear on her prime-time special next month, Fox News announced on Monday. Trump's monthslong feud with the news anchor has been the centerpiece of the Republican presidential candidate's on-again, off-again dispute with Fox News. On April 13, Kelly visited Trump in his Manhattan offices in an attempt to, as she said, "clear the air."