I disagree. I think both Cruz and Kasich were told by their donors after the Indiana defeat that the checkbooks were closing. End of campaigns.
I disagree, too. I don’t remember Kasich campaigning AGAINST the others very often at all; but when he did, it was always against Trump, never Cruz. Never.
If he was in there to stop Cruz, I never detected it. The Cruz people wanted the one-on-one, Trump v Cruz; but so did Trump.
I tend to lean to your way of thinking. Trump just had too much momentum and his win in Indiana put him up 25-4 over Cruz in terms of primaries won to date and 25-1 over Kasich. Other than Maine, a caucus state, Cruz won nothing east of the Mississippi and Kasich only had his home state of Ohio.
At that point, the GOP realized they had no choice but to cast their lot with Trump and make the best of it. So they shut down the money spigot and pulled the plug on Cruz and Kasich.
It was just announced a few minutes ago that Trump will not be self-funding his campaign for the general but will take GOP money.
The Republican Party are now going all-in with Trump.
I think that is most likely what happened.
I think you are right. I also think they have other motives and this is not the end of it.
The Cruz people (people I know who have huge AZ connections) are beside themselves today and have said they do not wish to be precinct committee chairman anymore, etc. They are just sick that Cruz is out.