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Kasich predicts there will be a brokered GOP convention

John Kasich on Friday said he doubts any Republican presidential candidate will amass the 1,237 delegates necessary to win the Republican nomination outright, a scenario that would set up a floor fight at a brokered convention.

“I don’t think anybody’s gonna get that,” Kasich told Fox News host Sean Hannity during an interview onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

“I’m gonna win Ohio. And then we gonna ...,” Kasich started to say before Hannity interrupted, asking the Ohio governor if he thought there would be a brokered convention. “I do. I do,” Kasich responded.

Fifteen states into the Republican primary, Kasich has yet to win a single state but vows a victory in Ohio on March 15. Kasich struggled early to get any media attention amid a crowded 17-person field dominated by Donald Trump.

“Nobody covered me,” Kasich said. “No one knew who I was. They didn’t call on me in the debates. I had to fight for every second. I haven’t raised a lot of money.”

Kasich added that his campaign is doing better now but said pundits thought he would never get on the main debate stage, make it to the New Hampshire primary or survive Super Tuesday.

“Look at where we are,” Kasich argued. “I’m the last governor standing. There’s only four of us, and we’re the little engine that can. So believe in us. And now, finally, finally, finally the country is beginning to get a little bit of who I am.”

Hannity laid out a hypothetical scenario in which candidate A — Trump — is closest to 1,237 delegates but falls short at the convention, while candidate B significantly trails.

“Do you think with a brokered convention that candidate A’s supporters are gonna be angry if candidate B, C or D gets the nomination?” Hannity asked. “I think they’re gonna be angry.”

Kasich responded that it should be done fairly, pointing to a near brokered convention in which Ronald Reagan lost to Gerald Ford in 1976. “In the end, everybody got together. It worked out,” Kasich said. “But look, as crazy as this year is — and there’s nobody in here that wouldn’t say this is like nuts, right? Can you think of anything cooler than a convention where we’re all gonna learn about how America works and our kids in school will learn more about American politics than they will the Kardashians?

“You know, not that I have anything against the Kardashians. But the fact is, Sean, you have to do it right, and you can’t have a bunch of people in smoke-filled rooms who are the establishment, by the way,” he added. “My only fear of a convention is that these kind of connected interests will dominate, and we’re gonna have to prevent that.”

Kasich also questioned the wisdom of his rivals' decision to go more viciously after Trump. Marco Rubio in recent days has ramped up his attacks on the front-runner in an effort to blunt the New York billionaire's momentum, challenging his failed business ventures and mocking his personal appearance. "You will not beat him by smearing him," Kasich said. "You will beat him by having a vision and a record that shows people who are frustrated."

The crowd gave Kasich a standing ovation as he entered the room and was generally warm to his remarks. But the warm feelings didn’t last long.

After he spoke, conservative activist Michelle Malkin shredded him for his role in Common Core education standards. Malkin called him a “nice guy … who last night during the debate pretended that he was on the side of local control. Ohio grass-roots activists and moms know better,” she said to a mix of cheers and boos.

Kyle Cheney contributed to this report.