Ohio Gov. John Kasich predicted he'll perform better during Republican nominating contests in the weeks to come after he "survived" early primaries and caucuses in the southeastern United States.
“The calendar worked in the south [but] didn’t work great for me,” Kasich said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “We never worried about that. Our strategy was always to survive and get to the north, and now we’re getting to the north.”
Despite his confidence, Kasich has only obtained an estimated 34 delegates of 845 awarded in votes so far. By contrast, frontrunner Donald Trump has won an estimated 378 delegates.
Ted Cruz Wins Kansas and Maine, Trump Wins Kentucky and Louisiana John Kasich Vows to Campaign Until Convention If He Wins Ohio ANALYSIS: Trump’s Rivals Focus on Trust, While Front-Runner Plays to Cheap SeatsIn recent days, Kasich’s campaign acknowledged the Ohio governor’s only path to the Republican nomination is through a contested, or “brokered,” party convention in which the candidate with the most delegates might not win the nomination. Kasich on Sunday expressed excitement over the possibility of a brokered convention.
“Is there anything else to be expected with the way things have gone this year?” he said.
Kasich dismissed the idea that such an outcome would lead to a rift in the Republican Party, saying, “we can’t let a bunch of Washington insiders pick the nominee.”
“I think at the end of the day the Republican Party is a reflection of the nominee,” he said.
Kasich also rejected a NBC/WSJ/Marist poll released Sunday showing him in last place in Michigan, which holds its GOP primary on Tuesday and where Kasich has invested a significant amount of time, money and other resources.
“We are closing the gap,” he said of Michigan. “You will see a better result than what you expect.”