Deirdre Shesgreen and Chrissie Thompson

dshesgreen@enquirer.com

COLUMBUS - John Kasich is going back on the campaign trail--this time to help House and Senate Republican candidates facing tough elections in the fall.

Kasich will kick off this new political effort Friday evening by attending a fundraiser to benefit Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and that state's Republican Party, said Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for the Ohio governor.

Kasich ended his Republican presidential campaign last month, and he has resisted calls to mount an independent bid for president, despite interest from some Republican leaders seeking an alternative to GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

Instead, Schrimpf said the governor will now turn his attention toward helping Republicans keep their majorities in the House and Senate.The move allows Kasich, who has thus far declined to endorse Trump, to maintain a national presence during the 2016 election and beyond.

Kasich's presidential campaign committee and New Day for America, a PAC that backed his White House bid, still had money in them when he ended his presidential bid. Those accounts could be used to pay for his upcoming travel and could serve as a vehicle should the Ohio governor decide to run for president in 2020–something he could consider should Trump fail to win the presidency this fall.

Schrimpf said Kasich recently spoke to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate GOP campaign arm. They talked about how Kasich could help with targeted races this fall, Schrimpf said, and Kasich's aides are now trying to map out a campaign schedule to help vulnerable GOP candidates.

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Schrimpf said Paul's campaign reached out separately and Kasich was eager to help him. Friday's fundraiser will be held at the Metropolitan Club in Covington; Schrimpf said he wasn't sure how much the event was expected to raise.

"There will be more travel this summer," Schrimpf said. "It’s a matter of now working with our calendar and the other candidates' calendars."

Asked if the governor's political travel would be paid for via New Day, Schrimpf said that was still under discussion.

"Those details are all being worked out with the attorneys," he said, adding that Kasich's presidential campaign committee "is open still," along with other entities that could be used to cover the campaign travel.