John Kasich thinks he has the wind at his back as the clock ticks down to the first Republican presidential primary.
This week, American Research Group released a poll which placed Kasich in second in New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary. The poll had Trump ahead with 27 percent and Kasich in second at 20 percent.
Like Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Marco Rubio, Kasich is counting on a strong showing in New Hampshire to lead to a national breakthrough. It’s a strategy that’s worked for some Republican presidential hopefuls--namely John McCain--but not others stretching from Pat Buchanan on the right to Jon Huntsman in center.
Certainly Kasich, who has not made much of a dent in the national polls during is campaign, is trumpeting the poll even as he avoids the showdown between Trump and Ted Cruz out in Iowa. On Wednesday, Kasich sent out an email heralding the poll, insisting he is “gaining on Trump and with twice as much support as Rubio, Cruz, Christie and Bush” in New Hampshire.
Kasich is letting it all ride in the Granite State and his appearances there are starting to garner applause, including from Scott McConnell, one of the founders of The American Conservative.
The Ohio governor is also starting to make his pitch to Republicans who worry that Cruz or Trump ending up with the nomination will hand the White House to Hillary Clinton.
“If we want to win in 2016, we need to select a candidate who can defeat Hillary," Kasich emailed supporters this week. “No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio and I am the only candidate who can guarantee you that I will defeat Hillary in Ohio. I’m also the only candidate who has a plan to balance America’s budget.”
Kasich has a point as he’s hoping to follow two other Ohio Republicans who served in Congress, then as governor of the Buckeye State before winning the White House: Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley. But there are some obstacles blocking Kasich, even if he does take the silver in New Hampshire. Some conservatives haven’t forgiven him for backing Medicaid expansion and, like McCain in 2000, he doesn’t have much campaign structure in place in the states that follow New Hampshire.
Still, Kasich is starting to pick up a little steam, something he simply can’t have claimed during most of the campaign. Even Trump, who has exchanged fire with Kasich before, has given the Ohio governor a tip of the cap in last week’s debate and on Twitter. Of course, the question is how much traction Kasich’s actually getting in the Granite State and New Hampshire will either make him or break him.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
