Supporters Doubt Deal Between Cruz & Kasich To Stop Trump Will Work
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The campaigns for Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich seemed to back away a bit from their arrangement that has Republicans all abuzz.
Both campaigns said Monday their supporters in Indiana, New Mexico, and Oregon should still vote for them.
Under the deal announced Sunday night, Kasich will drop his election efforts in Indiana so Cruz can focus there, and in turn, Cruz will drop his election efforts in New Mexico and Oregon, so Kasich can concentrate there.
The campaigns said their efforts are designed to save resources and money.
Wayne Richards, a Trump supporter in Plano said, "I'm disturbed about it."
Richards said he's not worried such a deal will keep Trump from winning the nomination before the GOP convention in July, but that it should still be illegal.
"I'm a businessman and if I or other businesses got together to try to take another business person out, not to win the business, but to take another business out of the equation, that'd be considered collusion," said Trump during a rally Monday.
While some analysts believe the arrangement will backfire against Cruz and Kasich, Cathie Adams, a Cruz supporter in North Dallas, believes it won't help the billionaire frontrunner.
"I think in Donald Trump's dreams this will help him," said Adams.
Adams says she believes Trump doesn't have any chance of winning the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination out-right.
"When I work day in and day out everyday with the grassroots, I don't think people's minds are going to be changed on this just because one chooses to focus more on one state than another," said Adams.
When asked if the deal between Cruz and Kasich has ever been done before, SMU Political Science professor Cal Jillson said, "Not that I can remember."
Jillson says Republicans need to focus on the larger battle against Democrats.
"There's a lot of concern about Donald Trump as the nominee, that he would take the party down to historic defeat, but one thing that will ensure historical defeat, is an all-out battle to the convention," said Jillson.
The deal comes just before voters in five eastern states to go to the polls Tuesday.
Trump has big leads in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and is expected to win each state easily.
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