Senior Republicans have been appealing to John Kasich to drop his bid for the presidential nomination, but the Ohio governor wants to stay in the race in hopes of winning his home state's primary on March 15 and then to gather party support should Florida Sen. Marco Rubio lose in his home state that same day, according to reports.
Republican lawmakers this past week have been calling Kasich's refusal to pull out, despite his low vote tallies, selfish,
reports The New York Times. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Kasich's insistence in staying in the race is irrational, because there is no way he can win the nomination, several senators said.
"He’s just flailing his arms around and having a wonderful time going around the country, and it just drives me up the wall," an unnamed senior senator told The Times.
Even former GOP nominee Mitt Romney has appealed to Kasich indirectly, saying the party needs to come together behind one strong rival.
Meanwhile, Trump's numbers continue to rise, and two campaigns are drafting plans to overtake Trump in a brokered convention, should he not get enough delegates outright to take the nomination, reports The Times. McConnell has plans to have lawmakers break from Trump in a general election, saying that a strong Republican congress could stand up to Hillary Clinton, should she win the presidency.
But former Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah, a top adviser to Romney’s campaign, said he has not seen evidence of a united front to stop Trump, "nor do I know anyone who has."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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