Republican presidential candidate John Kasich on Wednesday needled Ted Cruz’s inability to win the GOP nomination without a contested Republican National Convention this summer, arguing Cruz’s loss in New York puts the two candidates in the same boat.
The difference, Kasich argues, is that he fares better in general election match-ups than the Texas senator, who is running well ahead of Kasich in the delegate count but still lagging behind Donald Trump, the current front-runner.
{mosads}Kasich’s campaign sent a tweet Wednesday afternoon highlighting an Associated Press report that found it’s now mathematically impossible for Cruz to win the nomination before the convention.
“Now that Cruz is now mathematically eliminated, the only diff between him and Kasich is Kasich can defeat Clinton,” reads the tweet from the Ohio governor’s account.
It has been mathematically impossible for Kasich to secure the nomination since mid-March, but he’s battled to stay in the race in hopes of a shot at the nomination at a contested convention.
Supporters of Kasich have mentioned him as a possible vice presidential pick, something he has repeatedly dismissed as an option, if he cannot secure the nomination.
Trump, who expanded his delegate lead Tuesday with a decisive victory in New York, also sent a tweet Wednesday highlighting the math for Cruz and arguing the Texas senator can now only be a “spoiler” in the GOP race.
Cruz dismissed Trump’s New York win on Wednesday and turned his sights toward upcoming Republican contests, including in the crucial Pennsylvania primary on April 26.