After weeks of denying reality, John Kasich finally admitted at a GOP Town Hall last night that the only way he can win the Republican nomination is through a contested convention in July. But his stubborn dedication to continuing his long-shot campaign is making the Ted Cruz camp furious.
Cruz and his frustrated allies are desperate to get Kasich out of the race so that the #NeverTrump vote can consolidate behind Cruz. It’s a gamble to assume the majority of Kasich fans would all turn to Cruz, but a well-financed pro-Cruz super PAC is spending $800,000 to kill Kasich’s campaign in Wisconsin next week anyway.
The narrator, who sounds like a sports announcer, says “The John Kasich playbook: holding for a last-second shot and blocking out the grassroots. But that’s classic John Kasich.”
The ad argues that splitting the anti-Trump vote isn’t the only time Kasich has betrayed the party. According to the ad he also has some convoluted tie with George Soros and allegedly voted “against the Second Amendment and expanded Obamacare in Ohio.”
“So given John Kasich’s liberal record,” the narrator adds, “it’s no surprise his campaign isn’t rebounding because John Kasich won’t play in Wisconsin.”
But if Kasich and Cruz spend too much attention on each other and not enough on Trump, neither of them is likely to make it to the general election anyway.
Cruz and his frustrated allies are desperate to get Kasich out of the race so that the #NeverTrump vote can consolidate behind Cruz. It’s a gamble to assume the majority of Kasich fans would all turn to Cruz, but a well-financed pro-Cruz super PAC is spending $800,000 to kill Kasich’s campaign in Wisconsin next week anyway.
Pro-Cruz PAC says Kasich Is Betraying His Fellow Republicans
The ad “Kasich Won’t Play,” from the pro-Cruz Trusted Leadership PAC opens in a basketball locker room, with Kasich Photoshopped in as a coach explaining a game plan.The narrator, who sounds like a sports announcer, says “The John Kasich playbook: holding for a last-second shot and blocking out the grassroots. But that’s classic John Kasich.”
The ad argues that splitting the anti-Trump vote isn’t the only time Kasich has betrayed the party. According to the ad he also has some convoluted tie with George Soros and allegedly voted “against the Second Amendment and expanded Obamacare in Ohio.”
“So given John Kasich’s liberal record,” the narrator adds, “it’s no surprise his campaign isn’t rebounding because John Kasich won’t play in Wisconsin.”
A New Phase in the Cruz-Kasich Relationship?
Compared to Cruz and Trump’s recent headline-dominating fights, Kasich and Cruz have mostly left each other alone – but that is starting change. Kasich has responded to Cruz’s attacks by reciting numerous polls that suggest he is the only one who could beat Hillary Clinton in the general election.But if Kasich and Cruz spend too much attention on each other and not enough on Trump, neither of them is likely to make it to the general election anyway.