The Arizona Republic issued a biting editorial asking the state’s residents to condemn Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich instead.
The Republic, a leading daily newspaper in Arizona, argued that Trump and Cruz “don’t meet the basic qualifications for office” in a piece that it said was motivated more by opposition to Trump and Cruz than support for Kasich.
“Let us state this clearly: Donald Trump is not worthy of the presidency of the United States,” the paper wrote. “His conduct this primary season has been beneath the high office he seeks and beneath the process that would confer it. He violates so many of the most common standards of decency that it is not difficult to make the case against him. But his greatest failing, and one that should give every voter pause, is his vindictive nature. He is dangerous.”
The paper’s grievance with Cruz, however, is largely aimed at the Texas senator’s approach to illegal immigration. The paper opposes Cruz’s hawkish stance on immigration, which it claims “actually goes further than Trump.”
The editorial also condemns Cruz for not getting along with other politicians in Washington, D.C.
“He is one of the most unlikable politicians in Washington, deeply distrusted and despised by fellow senators, some of whom can’t stand to be in the room with him,” the paper wrote. “He is a hectoring scold on social issues, who wants to pick the lock on your bedroom door. On Capitol Hill, he’s the guy with the suitcase nuke, threatening to self-ignite to win a policy argument.”
The paper then made a qualified endorsement of Kasich who it described as “unlikely to be president.”
“He is almost endearing for his Midwest beige, a demeanor so completely ordinary he would melt into the crowd at a Shriners’ breakfast,” the Republic wrote in its endorsement of Kasich. “If not yet a viable candidate, Kasich stands as the ideal for what a president should be. In all ways he is qualified to be the nation’s chief executive. …
“John Kasich is the very picture of the serious man, with the demeanor and temperament to be trusted as commander in chief. He respects institutions and comports himself in a way that builds respect for institutions.”
Kasich, who has said he’s not sure it’s his “purpose” to be president, is on the campaign trail in Utah on Friday.
Arizona Republicans will vote on Tuesday, a state where Trump is expected to perform well.
