Kasich Indiana campaign official: Don’t tell voters how to vote

An Indiana campaign official for Republican presidential candidate John Kasich on Tuesday said he doesn’t want to tell voters whom they should vote for in the state but encouraged voters to think carefully about their decision if they want a Republican in the White House.

“Well, I don’t think we should be telling voters how to vote,” Mayor James Brainard of Carmel, Indiana, told MSNBC.

{mosads}”But what we’re pointing out to voters is — is that what was happening was that the anti-Trump vote was being divided between Mr. Cruz and Gov. Kasich, and that Gov. Kasich and Mr. Cruz reached an arrangement whereby Gov. Kasich was going to concentrate in Oregon and Arizona, and Mr. Cruz is going to concentrate in Indiana.”

Brainard has previously said Kasich is asking his supporters in Indiana to vote for rival Ted Cruz, according to the Indy Star. He said the Texas senator will “do the same” in Oregon and New Mexico for the Ohio governor.

Cruz and Kasich announced on Sunday a joint effort to deny current Republican front-runner Donald Trump the GOP nomination. Kasich plans to clear a path for Cruz in Indiana by not campaigning there, and Cruz will stand down in Oregon and New Mexico.

Kasich said Tuesday he’s not telling people anything in Indiana because he isn’t campaigning there.

“I’m not telling voters what to do. Voters are smart enough to figure out what they want to do,” he said during a phone interview on NBC’s “Today” show.

“I have not told anybody to not vote for me; I’m just not there campaigning.”