Is John Kasich gunning to be Donald Trump's VP pick?

Why else would he still be in the race?

Does John Kasich have a long-term plan to team up with Donald Trump?
(Image credit: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

If Donald Trump does indeed steamroll his way to the Republican presidential nomination, there will be many people, institutions, and ideas to blame. But surely, one name very near the top of the list will be John Richard Kasich.

If Kasich weren't in the race, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz might be winning a lot more states. In Virginia, Trump won 35 percent, Rubio 32 percent, and Kasich 9 percent. It's not unreasonable to assume that much of Kasich's 9 percent would probably have gone to Rubio if Kasich weren't in the race, giving the Florida senator a much-needed victory. In Vermont, Rubio and Kasich's combined 49 percent would have easily beaten Trump's 33 percent. In Florida, both Rubio and Kasich are surging, and their combined total of 34 percent would put them in striking distance of Trump in a must-win state. And this is just adding numbers. Kasich dropping out and backing an anti-Trump front would change the dynamics of the race beyond simple addition. By staying in, Kasich is doing as much as anyone to ensure that Trump wins, deliberately or not.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.