Romney: A vote for Kasich helps 'Trumpism'

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, said Friday he's voting for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Tuesday's Utah Republican presidential caucuses.

The announcement, made on Romney's Facebook page, is a blow to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, with whom Romney had campaigned earlier this month. In fact, Romney said, a vote for Kasich is a vote for "Trumpism."  

"This week, in the Utah nominating caucus, I will vote for Senator Ted Cruz," Romney wrote on his Facebook page. .

"Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism. Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these.

The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention. At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible.

I like Governor John Kasich. I have campaigned with him. He has a solid record as governor. I would have voted for him in Ohio. But a vote for Governor Kasich in future contests makes it extremely likely that Trumpism would prevail.

I will vote for Senator Cruz and I encourage others to do so as well, so that we can have an open convention and nominate a Republican."

Cruz thanked Romney in a Tweet.

Kasich, through chief strategist John Weaver, dismissed Romney as part of the "old establishment" - despite holding a rally with him just last weekend, ahead of Ohio's Republican primary.

"The fact is the establishment has gotten it wrong this entire primary and it is unfortunate to see that Mitt Romney is getting bad political advice," Weaver said. "John Kasich is best positioned to stop Donald Trump in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Pacific coast states. This is just the old establishment trying again to game the political system, but John Kasich's defeated the Republican establishment his entire career."

Front-runner Donald Trump, meanwhile, let loose a series of Tweets condemning "failed presidential candidate" Romney as a "mixed-up man who doesn't have a clue."

Romney earlier this month called Trump “a phony” who is “playing the American public for suckers.”

A number of Republican officials have shown their support for Cruz in recent days while falling short of endorsing the senator, who is currently in second place in the race for the party’s nomination.

Early polling shows Cruz leading among Utah's predominantly Mormon voters.

Trump currently leads his rivals overall, having won 678 delegates in contests held thus far, according to a count by The Associated Press. Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates, and Kasich is in third with 143. Need to win: 1,237

Kasich's problem in one chart, updated

The Associated Press contributed