INDIANAPOLIS — His rivals out of the way, Donald Trump has become the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich will announce the end of his underdog White House bid on Wednesday, according to three campaign officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the candidate's plans. The decision comes a day after Trump's only other rival, Ted Cruz, left the 2016 contest.
With no GOP opponents left, Trump has an open path to represent the party in the November general election — presumably against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Though armed with an extensive resume in politics, the second-term Ohio governor struggled to connect with Republican primary voters in a year dominated by anti-establishment frustration. Kasich was a more moderate candidate who embraced elements of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and called for an optimistic and proactive Republican agenda.
Even before news of Kasich's decision surfaced, Trump signalled a new phase of his outsider campaign that includes a search for a running mate with experience governing and outreach to one-time competitors in an effort to heal the fractured Republican Party.
"I am confident I can unite much of" the GOP, Trump said Wednesday on NBC's "Today Show, as several prominent Republicans said they'd prefer Democrat Clinton over the New York billionaire. In a shot at his critics, Trump added: "Those people can go away and maybe come back in eight years after we served two terms. Honestly, there are some people I really don't want."
On the Democratic side, former secretary of state Clinton suffered a defeat Tuesday in Indiana to her rival, Bernie Sanders, but she still holds a definitive lead among delegates who will decide the Democratic nomination.
The Republican competition changed dramatically with Trump's Indiana victory and Cruz's abrupt decision to quit the race. Trump won the Indiana contest with 53.3 per cent of the vote, to Cruz's 36.6 per cent and Kasich's 7.6 per cent, according to unofficial results.
Some Republican leaders remain acutely wary of Trump and have insisted they could never support him, even in a faceoff against Clinton.
"The answer is simple: No," Tweeted Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who has consistently said he could not support Trump.
What's their plan moving forward?
"Prayer," responded Republican strategist Tim Miller, a leader of one of the GOP's anti-Trump groups. "Donald Trump is just going to have an impossible time bringing together the Republican coalition."
Some conservative leaders were planning a Wednesday meeting to assess the viability of launching a third party candidacy to compete with him in the fall. Such Republicans worry about Trump's views on immigration and foreign policy, as well as his over-the-top persona.
Hours before clinching victory in Indiana, Trump was floating an unsubstantiated claim that Cruz's father appeared in a 1963 photograph with John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald — citing a report first published by the National Enquirer.
Trump defended his reference to the Enquirer article on Wednesday morning as "not such a bad thing," but the line of attack was the final straw for some Republican critics.
"The GOP is going to nominate for president a guy who reads the National Enquirer and thinks it's on the level," Mark Salter, a top campaign aide to 2008 Republican nominee John McCain, wrote on Twitter. He added Clinton's slogan: "I'm with her."
On finding a running mate, Trump told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he'll "probably go the political route," saying he's inclined to pick someone who can "help me get legislation passed." Trump didn't identify any of the names under consideration.
He told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he would begin to accept more political donations going forward.
"I'm really looking at small contributions, not the big ones. I don't want anyone to have big influence over me," he said.
While Trump signalled he would not seek assistance from any super PACs, an allied super PAC held a conference call on Wednesday led by Ed Rollins, Ronald Reagan's 1984 campaign manager.
Rollins acknowledged he was "a cynic at first" about Trump. But he said he grew to respect him as a master politician who "came in and conquered this game." Trump is going to need help raising money to fight a well-funded Clinton, Rollins said on the call.
A prominent Cruz donor, Mica Mosbacher, quickly signalled support for Trump and urged others to follow.
"I call on fellow conservatives to unite and support our new nominee Trump," said Mosbacher, widow of a member of George H.W. Bush's cabinet. "My heart goes out to Cruz who has a bright future. He did the unselfish thing to drop out."
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders eked out a victory over Clinton in Indiana, 52.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent. But the outcome will not slow the former first lady's march to the Democratic nomination. Heading into Tuesday's voting, Clinton had 92 per cent of the delegates she needs.
"I know that the Clinton campaign thinks this campaign is over. They're wrong," Sanders said defiantly in an interview Tuesday night. But Clinton already has turned her attention to the general election.
She and Trump now plunge into a six-month battle for the presidency, with the future of America's immigration laws, health care system and military posture around the world at stake. While Clinton heads into the general election with significant advantages with minority voters and women, Democrats have vowed to not underestimate Trump as his Republican rivals did for too long.
