INDIANAPOLIS — Ted Cruz and John Kasich’s agreement to expend resources strategically to stop Donald Trump appears poised to backfire mightily in Indiana.
At the end of April, Kasich announced he would effectively pull out of Indiana and focus elsewhere, while Cruz would similarly scale back in Oregon and New Mexico while focusing on the Hoosier State. But the decision does not seem to have corresponded with widespread strategic voting by Kasich backers in Indiana.
Greg Ferguson, a Cruz volunteer in Indianapolis, told the Washington Examiner he doesn’t understand the agreement and has not seen it make any difference here.
“I did talk to a man this morning at his house and on his front porch, and he said he was going to vote for John Kasich and he was an elderly gentleman, and it was very difficult for me but I bit my tongue,” Ferguson said. “I’d like to have said to him you might as well not even bother if that’s what you’re going to do because you’re not doing any good at all. So I really think that Gov. Kasich should have bowed out much earlier.”
Kasich’s supporters may feel compelled to stick with the governor in Indiana after hearing conflicting signs from the campaign. After the campaign announced its agreement with the Cruz team, Kasich told reporters it was “not a big deal.”
Asked if the best way to ensure Kasich has a fighting shot at a contested convention was by having Hoosiers vote for Cruz, Kasich’s Indiana co-chair James Brainard struggled to find an answer.
“Well, I’m gonna, let’s see, I’m for John Kasich,” he told the Examiner, “and I’m going to do what’s necessary to make sure we get to an open convention and get the best candidate.”
The Kasich campaign in Indiana is not providing guidance to its supporters regarding how to vote, as Brainard said. “People have to decide for themselves how they want to choose to vote and the best way to proceed.”
Approximately 58 percent of Indiana Republicans disapprove of Cruz and Kasich’s agreement, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll conducted April 26-28 and released on Sunday. The poll showed 63 percent of those surveyed thought it would have no effect, while 22 percent of respondents said it would be a major factor.
Cruz’s supporters sound annoyed by the agreement and seem frustrated by the attention it’s garnered.
“I really don’t think he needed it, but maybe we need to look at Trump’s agreements with the Democratic Party to run as a Republican candidate,” said David Milliner, a Cruz supporter who attended a Cruz event in Lafayette.
During his final visit to Indiana before Tuesday’s primary, Trump rhetorically smacked Cruz and Kasich for making the pact and called it a “stupid deal.”
“Anybody in business would not have made the deal,” Trump said. “And by the way, since making the deal, their numbers tanked. It was stupid. It’s politicians making deals. They’re politicians.”
Cruz told supporters on Monday night that he was “effectively tied” with Trump in Indiana, which is contrary to recent polling that suggests Trump’s lead is expanding.
If Cruz has a good night on Tuesday, it may rely on Kasich supporters’ willingness to hold their nose and vote Cruz, despite their stated plans to do the opposite.
