The Indianapolis Star declined to endorse candidates ahead of the Democratic and Republican presidential primary contests Tuesday in Indiana, but an editorial in the state’s largest newspaper says GOP front-runner Donald Trump would be a “danger to the United States and to the world.”
The editorial posted online Thursday said Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are the better choices for their respective parties out of a disappointing field.
“It’s unfortunate, in a nation of 320 million people, that voters must choose the next American president from the disappointing field of candidates now competing in the Democratic and Republican primaries,” the editorial said.
The editorial said Mr. Trump is “wholly unsuited to serve as president,” has offered “simplistic proposals on national security, job creation, immigration, international trade and foreign affairs,” and has “appealed to voters’ worst instincts by trying to pit racial and ethnic groups against one another.”
“A President Trump would be a danger to the United States and to the world,” the paper said.
The editorial said Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mr. Trump’s top GOP rival, is also “ill-suited” to serve in the Oval Office, saying Mr. Cruz’s short tenure in the U.S. Senate is most noted for his unwillingness to work well with others.
“During the campaign, as voters have witnessed in Indiana in recent days, Cruz has resorted to bombast and platitudes rather than offer substantive discussion of the nation’s most pressing issues,” the editorial said.
The paper said Mr. Kasich offers the “best choice” for voters in the Republican primary, saying he has built a solid record as a member of Congress and has “led well as Ohio’s chief executive.”
But the editorial also said Mr. Kasich cut a “disappointing” deal with Mr. Cruz, when the governor’s campaign said earlier this week it would direct resources away from Indiana, while Mr. Cruz’s campaign said it would clear the way in Oregon and New Mexico.
“The pact is aimed at preventing Trump from winning his party’s nomination,” the editorial said. “It’s unfortunate that Indiana voters have been given no chance to hear directly from the candidate most qualified to represent the Republican Party in the fall campaign for the White House.”
On Thursday, Mr. Cruz had said there was no “alliance” with the Kasich campaign and that Mr. Kasich made the decision in “his own political self-interest” to withdraw from Indiana and compete elsewhere.
On the Democratic side, the editorial said Sen. Bernard Sanders has built his campaign around “extravagant promises” and is “simply not well prepared to lead the nation.”
It said Mrs. Clinton is the stronger of the two candidates and has a deep resume, but that she also is “hobbled by serious concerns about her judgment and ethics.”
“Clinton has a history of cutting ethical corners, and two current controversies — her decision to accept large sums of money in speaking fees from Wall Street insiders, and her reckless choice to use a private computer server while handling highly sensitive information as secretary of state — raise critical questions about her judgment,” the editorial said.
“We are withholding a formal endorsement in either race. Indiana voters can still have a big impact with their ballots Tuesday in halting Trump’s march. The best we can hope is that Hoosiers do just that — and say no to a candidate who is not merely flawed but is clearly unfit for the office he seeks,” it concluded.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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