The 2016 presidential race has proved to be unpredictable, so good luck trying to figure it out.

Donald Trump is a hair away from clinching the Republican nomination. If he dominates Indiana’s primary Tuesday, the race could be over.

But Ted Cruz and John Kasich, of course, would disagree with that, and it seems they’ve entered some “tag team” deal for the Indiana, Oregon and New Mexico primaries.

Cory Crowley was Kasich’s state director in Iowa, and he said the Cruz-Kasich pact is more of a resource allocation than anything else.

“There is a coordinated effort to let Ted Cruz campaign hard and heavy in Indianan and John Kasich in Oregon and New Mexico. Obviously, that’s part of a concerted effort to be sure that the person best situated to win delegates in each state has the opportunity to do that. It’s not that one is campaigning for the other,” Crowley said.

As time runs out, Cruz and Kasich are trying to spend their resources wisely, Crowley said.

National polls say Kasich beats Hillary Clinton head-to-head. Trump does not, nor does Cruz. Kasich, however, has only won his home state of Ohio. Crowley said the big question is why don’t Republicans want Kasich to win?

Trump has been an outsider with a ton of free publicity on the media. Crowley said the Kasich campaign is banking on voters and delegates see Kasich as the only person who can take down Clinton and keep the Republican majority in the House and Senate. He said the campaign hopes delegates will think long term, not short term.

Up next…

On Part 2, if we can access a world of information from our fingertips, does it matter if those big emergency sirens don’t work in our town?

About the Insiders
The Insiders with Dave Price features in-depth conversations with top politicians, decision makers and influencers from Iowa and across the country. It’s Iowa’s Sunday morning tradition that provides unique insight into what’s happening, and it’s the show that holds elected officials accountable.

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