DAYTON, Ohio (WCMH)–Friday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich was in Dayton, hoping to get some more last-minute support to win his home state.
He told NBC4’s Dan Pearlman he was very confident ahead of Tuesday’s primaries.
“Look, I’m going to win in Ohio,” he said. “We have everything that it takes here to win, plus a great record. We’re going to run through the tape and make sure we leave no stone unturned.”
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has claimed Kasich is an absentee governor lately.
“I’m not getting down in the mud with Donald,” Kasich said. “He loves to be down there wrestling with people. I’m not doing it.”
Marco Rubio is actually urging Republicans in Ohio to turn out and vote for Kasich next week.
Rubio told reporters that Kasich has a “much better chance of stopping Donald Trump in Ohio” than Rubio himself does.
The tactic reflects the increasing sense of urgency felt by Trump’s foes as the front-runner looks at what would be a devastating sweep in the winner-take-all primaries in Ohio and Florida.
“Well, we are really getting carried away here,” Kasich said. “We have over 1,000 delegates to be picked and when I win here on Tuesday, it’s a whole new ball game. I think it’s very conceivable that I will go to the convention, if we have one, with the most delegates.”
Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols says that his candidate is going to win in Ohio without Rubio’s help.