March 10--Hoping to drive turnout among moderate Illinois Republicans who might boost his candidacy for president, Ohio Gov. John Kasich held a pair of suburban rallies on Wednesday, proclaiming he'd do his "level best to continue to be positive."
In a nod to the often toxic nature of the GOP nominating contest, Kasich appealed to crowds at town hall meetings in Lisle and Palatine by emphasizing that he had not, like others, resorted to "name calling" in his bid for the White House.
"I refuse to get down in the mud to be elected president of the United States," Kasich said to a packed gymnasium in Palatine, drawing his most raucous applause of the day. "You have to show respect to people."
To date, Kasich has yet to win a state and has the fewest delegates of the four remaining Republicans seeking the party's presidential nomination. He has remained in the race, staking his candidacy on a strategy anchored in Midwestern states such as Michigan, Illinois and his native Ohio, where his centrist candidacy and roots might play best.
The Ohio contest is Tuesday, the same day as Illinois' primary. But unlike Illinois, Ohio is a winner-take-all affair. If Kasich wins, it could allow him to collect enough delegates to emerge as an alternative to front runner Donald Trump if the wealthy New York real estate mogul and reality TV star does not secure enough delegates to win on the first ballot at the GOP convention this summer in Cleveland.
During a news conference after his second rally, Kasich dismissed recent polls that showed him trailing Trump in his home state, where he won re-election as governor by a 30-point margin.
"I'm going to win Ohio. Ohio is going to be a new day in this race," Kasich said before challenging a reporter. "I'm not stalled out. I don't know what you're looking at. Most of these polls are either not accurate or they're too old ... You think I'm stalled out? Come to Ohio, and we'll see."
Asked if he could win Illinois, Kasich wasn't as confident. "I think we can pick up delegates in some of these areas, like Cook County. What's the other county we feel pretty good about?" Kasich asked, turning to a campaign adviser.
"DuPage," the aide responded.
Kasich's Midwestern strategy suffered a blow Tuesday night in Michigan, where he finished third behind Trump, who won 37 percent of the vote, and conservative Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who finished with 25 percent. Kasich had 24 percent, with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
In a brief gaggle with reporters Wednesday in Palatine, the Ohio governor tried to portray the loss as a positive, saying he had gone on what he dubbed the "Kasich surge," moving from single digits in Michigan to winning 24 percent of the vote. "If we had another day," he said, "God knows what would have happened."
