Trump, lone survivor in Republican White House race, now must unify party

Trump, lone survivor in Republican White House race, now must unify party
By Steve Holland




WASHINGTON, Donald Trump became the last man standing in the race for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination on Wednesday as his sole remaining rival, John Kasich, ended his campaign, and he now faces the challenge of repairing deep fissures in the party.

Anointed the presumptive nominee after winning Indiana on Tuesday and driving his closest rival, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, from the race, the 69-year-old New York billionaire planned to set up a vice presidential selection committee and step up efforts to seek unity among a wider group of Republicans ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

Kasich, the Ohio governor, had stayed in the race in hopes of persuading Republicans to choose him as the nominee at a contested convention in July. He ended his campaign as a clear path emerged for Trump to amass the delegates needed to secure the nomination o

"As I suspend my campaign today, I have renewed faith, deeper faith that the Lord will show me the way forward and fulfill the purpose of my life," Kasich said in Columbus, the Ohio state capital.

Some U.S. Republican lawmakers said they would support Trump since he will be the nominee, stressing the importance of defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the general election. One of those was 2008 presidential nominee John McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona who is seeking re-election this year and was insulted by Trump last year.

"As John McCain has said, he will support the nominee of the Republican Party, who is now presumptively Donald Trump," said McCain's Senate campaign spokeswoman, Lorna Romero.

But the wounds from a brutal primary battle were still raw among many Republican loyalists who simply cannot bear to support Trump because they worry he could spell disaster for the party in November.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska reiterated statements that he would not back Trump and pointed to a February Facebook post in which he said he would look for an alternative candidate if Trump became the nominee.

Nebraska's other U.S. senator, Republican Deb Fischer, made clear in an interview with Nebraska Radio Network that she would support the party's nominee but was not comfortable with Trump.

"Mr. Trump is going to have to work hard to bring the party together,” she said. “He’s going to have to work hard to explain his stance on different issues and to talk about the principles and values he holds. I look forward to having a robust race here.”

South Carolina's Republican governor, Nikki Haley, issued a statement saying she would support the Republican nominee but was "not interested" in being the party's vice presidential running mate.

Since launching his White House bid last summer as a long shot amid a crowded field that included governors, former governors and U.S. senators, Trump repeatedly defied predictions that his campaign would implode.

He prevailed over rivals he derided as "grown politicians," despite making provocative statements along the way that drew sometimes furious criticism from many in the party but fed his anti-establishment appeal.

His supporters have been wildly enthusiastic about his "America First" platform, which has strayed far from some conservative bulwarks like free trade and military interventionism.

In a series of Wednesday morning television interviews, Trump made clear he would not be looking to placate everyone after a tumultuous primary campaign in which many establishment Republicans rallied around Stop Trump and Never Trump movements.

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