A presidential election campaign so far marked by bluster and acrimony saw a more tender moment on Thursday when Republican John Kasich comforted a distressed supporter with a hug.

University of Georgia student Brett Smith, 21, said he had driven up from Georgia to see Kasich, the governor of Ohio, who was campaigning in South Carolina ahead of Saturday’s Republican primary.

“Over a year ago, a man who was like my second dad, he killed himself,” Smith told the candidate. “And then a few months later, my parents got a divorce, and then a few months later, my dad lost his job. And I was in a really dark place for a long time. I was pretty depressed.

“But I found I hope,” he continued. “And I found it in the Lord, and in my friends, and now I’ve found it in my presidential candidate that I support. And I’d really appreciate one of those hugs you’ve been talking about.”

Kasich is known for his hugs and has campaigned on a platform of so-called compassionate conservatism. “People will come to our town halls and they will talk about some of the most excruciatingly difficult things that they see in their lives,” he told MSNBC’s Morning Joe earlier this month. “People need to be listened to, supported and hugged, I’m telling you, all across America.”

The touching moment marked the end of an afternoon event at Clemson University.



.@JohnKasich: "We don't have enough people that sit down and cry with that young man." #SCPrimaryhttps://t.co/4YsAkfXUj6 — CSPAN (@cspan) February 18, 2016

“The Lord will give you strength, I promise you, if you ask him,” Kasich told the student as he embraced him.

He then returned to stage to say: “I’ve heard about the pain of people all across this country, and what I’ve learned is we’re going too fast in our lives. We need to slow down.”

At a town hall later on Thursday – with fellow presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Jeb Bush – Kasich spoke about losing his parents in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.



Smith said in an email to the Washington Post that the story, which Kasich has also told on the campaign trail, was “relatable”.

Smith wrote: “His story about his parents dying in a car crash and how after that tragic event he found hope, optimism, and the Lord and I just felt something similar and relatable (in its own unique way) that really touched me and I wanted him to know that his positive message isn’t falling on deaf ears.”