John Kasich’s decision to join Donald Trump and skip the upcoming Republican presidential debate on Monday has left party insiders scratching their heads.
The Ohio governor is behind in the polls and losing the race for delegates to the nominating convention in Cleveland. Even after winning the primary in his home state on Tuesday, Kasich faces an uphill climb to the nomination, and the exposure on national television could only serve as a boost, Republican strategists said Wednesday.
But as of Wednesday, only Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, running second behind Trump, is willing to participate.
Republican operatives were at a loss to explain how Kasich’s move helps in the effort to derail Trump. The New York celebrity businessman is the clear front-runner in the race, and announced Wednesday that he was skipping the debate. Kasich’s only hope is forcing a contested convention in which the delegates nominate a candidate other than the one who won a plurality of the vote in the primaries and caucuses.
“It’s a dumb move,” said one Republican operative who would prefer the GOP nominate someone other than Trump.
“I have no idea,” added a second Republican insider who feels similarly, when asked what Kasich’s logic could be. “I would think that a guy who can’t pay for ads would want all the TV exposure he could get.”
Kasich’s decision was announced via his chief strategist, John Weaver, who said on Twitter: “No debate in SLC Monday due to Trump backing out. No surprise Trump avoiding contrast. Utah: @JohnKasich headed your way Fri.” In a subsequent tweet, Weaver added: “If Trump changes his mind — as [former presidential candidate Ben] Carson said there are 2 Trumps — we will be there. Positive contrasts nicely with division. #Sybil”
Given the image Kasich has cultivated as the “adult in the room” who focuses substance rather than negative attacks, his decision to back out of the next debate, set for Monday in Salt Lake City and to be cablecast by Fox News, was especially perplexing to some of his supporters.
Despite the possibility of being cast as the moderate in the race by Cruz, participating with the Texas senator could put Trump on the defensive for skipping and help his case that the New Yorker doesn’t deserve the nomination, particularly with so much voting left to go.
“It’s insane,” said a Kasich supporter, who requested anonymity to avoid criticizing the governor publicly. “If he wants to be looked at as the adult in room — and he does — then he should continue to be up on stage acting like the adult.”
