Republican runner-ups join hands to kick Trump out

US Republican presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz and John Kasich have joined forces to knock rival Donald Trump out of the lead in the party’s presidential primaries.

The two politicians issued statements on Sunday night, saying they will divide their campaign focuses.

Now Cruz is set to focus on Indiana and Kasich will put his efforts in Oregon and New Mexico.

The strategy is aimed at blocking Trump from gaining the 1,237 delegates necessary to claim to GOP nomination this summer, according to CNN.

"To ensure that we nominate a Republican who can unify the Republican Party and win in November, our campaign will focus its time and resources in Indiana and in turn clear the path for Gov. Kasich to compete in Oregon and New Mexico," Cruz’s campaign manager Jeff Roe said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Kasich's chief strategist John Weaver said in another statement that "due to the fact that the Indiana primary is winner-take-all statewide and by congressional district, keeping Trump from winning a plurality in Indiana is critical to keeping him under 1,237 bound delegates before Cleveland. We are very comfortable with our delegate position in Indiana already, and given the current dynamics of the primary there, we will shift our campaign's resources West and give the Cruz campaign a clear path in Indiana."

Trump hit back at his rivals in a late night tweet, saying, “Wow, just announced that Lyin' Ted and Kasich are going to collude in order to keep me from getting the Republican nomination. Desperation!”

A recent poll by the Capitol Weekly/Sextant Strategies showed 26 percent of Cruz supporters only back him up to prevent Trump from becoming this year’s GOP nominee for the White House.

Also, 34 percent of those who support Kasich said their vote was anti-Trump.

Almost half of those surveyed, 47%, said they believe Trump will clinch the GOP nomination regardless of their preferred candidate.

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