With wet eyes and an obviously heavy heart, Ohio Gov. John Kasich gave up his presidential dream today. "The people of our country changed me. They changed me with the stories of their lives," said the Ohio governor as wife Karen and twin daughters Emma and Reece sat in the front row of a barn at Franklin Park in Columbus.

Gov. John Kasich�s official announcement that he was giving up his presidential dream came late Wednesday afternoon before a host of TV cameras.

But the actual decision to suspend his long-shot campaign came hours earlier in a humble charter aircraft facility at Port Columbus.

Kasich and a group of advisers already had boarded a private jet at Landmark Aviation to fly to Washington for a press conference at Dulles International Airport and other events. But as they discussed the bleak future of the campaign, they got off the airplane and gathered in the company�s offices, eyewitnesses told The Dispatch. The big question was how the Ohio governor could tell donors and journalists that he had a realistic path to the nomination.

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�He doesn�t say something he doesn�t think is true,� said one source, who described Kasich�s reasoning as �I don�t want to tell them something that I don�t wholeheartedly believe.�

Kasich�s chance to prevent Donald Trump from locking up the nomination with 1,237 delegates suffered a serious blow with the billionaire�s sweeping victory in Indiana on Tuesday. That put him above 1,050 delegates. But even more important was the departure of Ted Cruz from the race, because Kasich was counting on the Texas senator to keep Trump from running the table in the next two primaries, Tuesday in Nebraska and West Virginia � both areas where Kasich is weak.

There also was a growing fear among those close to Kasich that by continuing the race, Kasich might be hurting his own brand as a national Republican with a positive message. The advisers are convinced Trump cannot defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in November, which would vindicate Kasich�s claim that the party is nominating a candidate who cannot win the White House.

The decision, another Kasich confidante said, came after �honest, unfiltered conversations with people he has known for a long time.� He said he doubts that Kasich will ever run for elective office again.

After Kasich�s talk, Ohio Republican Chairman Matt Borges said, �We knew we weren�t going to stop Trump from getting to 1,237 (delegates).�

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia�s Center for Politics, said, �Kasich was a perfectly acceptable nominee for a normal year. But there has been nothing normal about 2016.

�Kasich was too establishment, too moderate and reasonable, and not nearly angry enough for the GOP base. He doesn�t think compromise is a dirty word. Where�s the hate, buddy?�

Kasich was both emotional and reflective during his speech.

�The people of our country changed me. They changed me with the stories of their lives,� said Kasich, eyes moist, as wife Karen and twin daughters Emma and Reece sat in the front row of a barn at Franklin Park in Columbus.

�Throughout my campaign, I said the Lord may have another purpose for me,� Kasich said.

�As I suspend my campaign today, I have renewed faith, deeper faith, that the Lord will show me the way forward and fulfill the purpose of my life.�

Kasich did not take questions nor mention Trump, now the Republicans� presumptive nominee. Although Trump told CNN he would vet Kasich for his running mate, the governor�s campaign has not been contacted and Kasich still wants no part in such a role.

Other than recounting the travels and people he met, Kasich hardly mentioned the campaign other than lamenting, �We never had all the money we wanted. We were probably outspent 50 to 1.�

However, one of the sources said the move to quit wasn�t based on a lack of cash because �we had a decent chunk of money left.� In fact, the Kasich campaign got a financial boost after Cruz dropped out.

Kasich�s decision came quickly. Charlie Black, hired to help with a GOP convention fight, said Kasich was still running as of an 8:15 a.m. phone meeting Wednesday. A short time later, his campaign released a Web ad mimicking the Star Wars intro calling Kasich �the only hope.� And campaign manager Beth Hansen sent out a fundraising appeal as recently as 10:16 a.m., less than a half-hour before the soon-to-be-canceled Washington press conference was to start.

Ohio Democratic Chairman David Pepper called on Kasich�s campaign to reimburse the state �for every single penny� of taxpayers� money spent. The State Highway Patrol � required by law to protect Kasich no matter where he goes � has rolled up roughly $343,000 in overtime costs since Kasich�s campaign began.

However, the Kasich campaign has no plans for reimbursement, one source said.

Dispatch Reporters Randy Ludlow, Jim Siegel, and Jessica Wehrman contributed to this story.

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