Kasich’s allies rebel

Kasich’s Indiana allies rebel against Cruz pact

‘I’ve been telling people … to stay true,’ says Kasich supporter in the state.

By Katie Glueck and Kyle Cheney

John Kasich may have agreed to cede Indiana to Ted Cruz as part of a coordinated strategy to stop Donald Trump, but Kasich’s top backers in the state say they’re frustrated and confused by the tactical maneuvering – and they have no plans to play along.

“I put my name on the line for someone, and then the rug kind of got pulled,” said State Sen. Jim Merritt, who after serving on Kasich’s Indiana leadership team will now not publicly support anyone. “My name’s on a headline with another candidate, and then all of a sudden there’s some agreement that has not really been explained to me…it tends to disappoint.”

Interviews with the Ohio governor’s top Indiana allies reveal that many are deeply reluctant to support the Texas senator, who is campaigning aggressively in the state, which offers perhaps his last chance to slow Trump’s momentum and force a contested convention. Kasich’s team on Sunday indicated that the Ohio governor would be effectively pulling out of the state, while Cruz would steer clear of New Mexico and Oregon, in an effort to keep Trump from clinching the 1,237 delegates needed for the nomination.

Though several Kasich backers said they understood the strategic value of boosting Cruz in Indiana, they still intend to vote for Kasich and won’t actively encourage Kasich backers to vote for the Texas senator, whose hardline style and vocal social conservatism are hard for many moderates to swallow.

“My personal opinion is, most Kasich supporters are not naturally Cruz supporters at all,” said Melissa Proffitt, a prominent Indianapolis lawyer on Kasich’s leadership team who will continue to back the governor. “To think someone who would vote for Kasich will all of a sudden vote for Cruz, I don’t think that is necessarily very likely.”

Added State Rep. Randy Truitt, “I am gonna vote for the governor. It’s actually more confusing to me than anything. Indiana’s an early voting state. We’ve had people already voting. I know quite a few people that have already cast their vote for Gov. Kasich. I’ve been telling people … to stay true.”

This week, Kasich has pushed multiple messages. He swung through Indianapolis on Tuesday afternoon for a fundraiser and meeting with top supporters – and when he was asked who Hoosiers should support in their May 3 primary, he simply said they should support whomever they prefer, according to two sources in the room. One attendee described his response as “equivocal” and “strange.”

Kasich’s comments at the fundraiser came a day after he told reporters that his Indiana backers should still vote for him, further complicating an already confusing dynamic for his supporters.

“I’m not sure how his leadership team came up with the strategy with Cruz,” said State Rep. Cindy Kirchhofer, another Kasich ally. “Obviously, it’s an opportunity to divide the count and make the math work for us, but my worry is the public perception here in Indiana. I don’t want to give the perception that Indiana votes don’t count.”

Pete Seat, a Kasich consultant in Indiana, defended the move, citing strategic considerations.

“It’s all about winning the war and sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice the battle,” he said. But Seat acknowledged that many Indiana voters would likely stick to their current path. “There’s people who can’t stomach the idea of voting for Ted Cruz and will probably still cast their ballot for Kasich.”

But whether the plan can work is unclear. More than 60,000 voters already cast early ballots prior to the announcement.

Indiana surveys have been scarce, but available polls show Cruz within striking distance of Trump, and Kasich in third place, though consistently grabbing between 16 percent and 20 percent of the vote. He also has strength in the Indianapolis area.

If Kasich and Cruz split the anti-Trump vote, the mogul stands to win the lion’s share of Indiana’s delegates because of the way the state rewards a plurality winner. With Kasich nominally quitting the state, Cruz will need to snag some of his support to catch Trump and make the contested convention he and Kasich are banking on more assured.

Indiana follows two weeks of bad news for Cruz. After getting wiped out in New York, he notched a series of bad showings in mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday, while Trump romped. Indiana represents Cruz’s best chance to regain momentum—and land delegates—before the contest enters its final stage before the convention. The race will culminate on June 7 in delegate-rich California, a state Cruz’s campaign is relying on to keep him in a strong position for a contested convention.

Even those Kasich supporters who may agree that supporting Cruz in Indiana is the best way to stop Trump are making those decisions quietly, and are making little effort to galvanize center-right support for the Texas senator.

Mayor Jim Brainard of Carmel, Ind., Kasich’s Indiana co-chair, on Monday said that "Kasich is asking his supporters in Indiana to vote for Cruz so Trump does not win Indiana.” But by Tuesday, he was clarifying that “I would never tell someone how to cast their ballot.”

“I’m going to vote so that Gov. Kasich has a chance to go to…an open convention,” he said, declining to further specify whom he might support. “I’m asking voters to look at the polling data available online, voters are smart, take a look at that. If a person is a Republican, they need to make a decision about how we best win in the fall. Not about who they like the best in the Republican primary.”

Asked whether he would make a more explicit case for Cruz, he replied, “No.”