John Kasich Gives Up His Bid For The White House, Is Donald Trump Already The GOP’s Nominee?

The Republican race for the White House started with 12 candidates, and now has one sole survivor: The Donald himself. Donald Trump came into the race with an attitude as if he’d already won, and now that belief seems to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Today, the last of Trump’s competitors for the White House, Ohio Governor John Kasich, announced that he would be withdrawing from the Presidential race. Even before Kasich and the other competitors withdrew, it seemed pretty clear that GOP delegates and superdelegates wanted Trump in the White House. The only competitor who drew close to Trump in the number of pledged delegates was Texas senator Ted Cruz.

Perhaps the reason for Trump’s opponents withdrawing from the race is due to The Donald’s claim that the race for the White House would be “over” if he won in Indiana. The Don picked up 57 new delegates in the state’s primaries, bringing his total to 1,053. With only 514 delegates still available in the GOP primaries, the White House math doesn’t add up for Kasich. The Ohio Governor can’t get hit his goal of 1,237 delegates needed for the nomination, even if all the remaining delegates supported him.

It’s also possible Kasich’s platform was a large nail in his campaign’s coffin. The Huffington Post pointed out that Kasich’s decision to expand his state’s Medicare under the ever-so-loathed Affordable Care Act did not sit well with many Republicans. This might have been one factor that made him less popular amongst Republicans as a choice for the White House.

John Kasich, Donald Trump's last GOP competitor, will drop out, sources tell CNN https://t.co/d1AgjZ5q8x https://t.co/n0T5Sy3xer

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 4, 2016

Trump’s platform, on the other hand, is more typically in line with conservative values. If put in the White House, Trump has vowed to be tough on immigration, stating that he loves the Mexican people but Mexico as a country is “not our friend.” As Ontheissues.org found, Trump has also stated that he would totally repeal the Affordable Care Act if he gets to the White House, but would keep the part that says insurance companies cannot discriminate against those with pre-existing conditions.

Kasich has cancelled a campaign event in Washington, D.C., today and will instead be “issuing a statement” tonight in Columbus, OH, as the Daily Caller discovered. That statement is expected to be an official announcement of Kasich’s withdrawal from the White House race.

It’s interesting to note that Trump has secured the nomination despite his lack of political experience, something his fellow White House contenders often pointed out. However, Trump seems to have convinced people that his business expertise can easily translate into political know-how. The fact that Trump is self-funding his entire campaign out of his seemingly endless pockets also allowed him to be seen as a candidate who will not bow to special interests if elected.

Kasich and the other Republican nominees were hoping to force a Contested Convention to slow the Juggernaut that is Donald Trump. Time explained that the Contested Convention occurs if no candidate can secure the 1,237 delegates needed to win the GOP nomination; in this case, the delegates select who the party’s nominee is. It’s safe to say that this year’s convention is anything but contested, though, as Donald Trump had a strong lead over his opponents even before they withdrew.

[Image Via Michael Vadon, Flickr.com, CC-BY SA 2.0]