New Cruz-Kasich alliance to stop Trump is already falling apart

A Kasich supporter in Maryland holds a sign upside-down

(Image credit: Yuri Gripas/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 26 April 2016

On Sunday, Ted Cruz and John Kasich announced an agreement to try to stop shared rival Donald Trump from winning the GOP presidential nomination outright, but it appears the devil was in the details, and the details make for a pretty toothless alliance. The plan is for Kasich to cede the pivotal Indiana primary to Cruz and for Cruz to return the favor in Oregon and New Mexico.

But as Cruz said in Indiana on Monday that "Kasich has decided to pull out of Indiana to give us a head-to-head contest with Donald Trump," Kasich told a rally in Philadelphia that his supporters in Indiana "ought to vote for me." Cruz told allies in private talking points not to endorse tactical voting, and Kasich is still holding a fundraiser in Indiana and meeting with Gov. Mike Pence (R), though he has canceled public campaign events in the Hoosier State.

A pro-Cruz super PAC said it will continue running attack ads against Kasich in Indiana, though it says it won't do so in Oregon and New Mexico, and that appears to be the crux of the deal: Kasich adviser Charles Black explained the alliance as a signal to super PACs as to where the candidates are focusing their efforts. "We’re simply letting folks know where we will be focusing our time and resources," agreed the private Cruz talking points.

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Each campaign and its surrogates appeared sensitive to criticism from Trump and his allies that the Cruz-Kasich pact was somehow cheating. "Yes, I understand the Trump campaign is going to scream and cry," Cruz told The Washington Post. "That's what they do." Kasich bristled at the suggestion that the agreement was a sign of desperation. "Me? No, I'm not desperate — are you?" he asked The New York Times. "Are you desperate?"

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.