GOP presidential candidate John Kasich on Thursday condemned Donald Trump’s suggestion that riots would result if the Republican Party did not nominate him as its presidential candidate.
“Donald Trump said there could be riots if he’s ‘denied’ the GOP nom in a contested convention,” the Ohio governor wrote in a tweet. “This implicit acceptance of violence is the kind of rhetoric that’s pulling people apart.”
Kasich, who scored his first primary victory in his home state on Tuesday, has sought to strike a positive tone throughout his presidential campaign, but this week he said that his campaign would spend more time challenging Trump.
Kasich said he was unsure whether he could support the billionaire and GOP frontrunner of if he were to win the nomination.
Kasich remains a significant underdog in the race, having won one contest to Trump’s 18.
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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com