Trump, Cruz camps looking to block Kasich from convention ballot

The campaigns of Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are trying to block rival John Kasich’s name from appearing on the ballot at the Republican National Convention, MSNBC reported Sunday.

Both Trump and Cruz have a large delegate lead over Kasich, with Trump at the head of the pack.

{mosads}On Sunday, Trump called on Kasich to drop out the race, arguing the Republican National Committee shouldn’t allow the candidate to continue his presidential bid because he has no chance of securing the nomination. He said the “the RNC shouldn’t allow” Kasich to appear on the ballot, according to MSNBC.

A senior Cruz campaign aide told MSNBC he expects the the Rules Committee at the convention to “require a level of support that would leave only two candidates on the ballot at the convention.”

Trump adviser Barry Bennett said both Cruz and Trump “people are fighting hard to make sure their hardcore delegates get on the committee” that determines the rules, if there were to be an open convention.

The committee that determines the rules includes 112 Republican delegates.

And Bennett said the campaigns “will be successful getting at least a majority” of the voting bloc. He said if both of the leading campaigns support the rule, the committee “is not going to oppose” it.

The Trump and Cruz campaign are in support of a rule that would require a candidate to get a certain amount of support to appear on the ballot.

A past rule requires a candidate to get a majority of the delegates in at least eight states to get on the convention ballot.

“If the campaigns can convince a majority of delegates on the Rules Committee and in the convention, then they can pass an eight-state rule,” former RNC general counsel Ben Ginsberg told MSNBC.

That rule would prevent Kasich from getting on the ballot.

Kasich is predicting a contested convention. He said Sunday morning he expects to be the Republican nominee coming out of an open convention, touting his poll numbers in head-to-head match ups with Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton and his record as Ohio governor.

Kasich’s campaign is also looking to get people in support of the governor’s campaign on the rules committee.

“We are working to ensure each campaign has a fair representation on the Rules Committee and it reflects the leadership of the Republican Party,” said Andrew Boucher, Kasich’s chief convention strategist.

In response to Trump’s comments Sunday that Kasich shouldn’t be allowed to run, Kasich tweeted: “That’s not how our republic works.”

“We’ll keep fighting until someone reaches a majority of delegates,” Kasich said in the tweet. 

That’s not how our republic works, Donald.

We’ll keep fighting until someone reaches a majority of delegates. https://t.co/I0YlmYfF79

— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) April 3, 2016