John Kasich drew multiple comparisons of himself to Ronald Reagan over the course several minutes. | Getty Kasich wraps himself in Reagan

John Kasich is wrapping himself in the mantle of Reagan ahead of the New Hampshire primary

The Ohio governor, who's fighting to win over more moderate New Hampshire Republicans not enamored of Ted Cruz or Donald Trump, compared himself twice to Ronald Reagan within a few minutes on Sunday in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union."


Tapper asked Kasich about a remark he made on Saturday, when a Democratic voter told Kasich on the trail that Kasich was the only Republican he'd consider supporting. Kasich joked that maybe he "ought to be running in a Democrat primary."

"Why do you think so many conservatives look at you as not one of them?" Tapper asked.

Kasich touted his record balancing budgets and cutting taxes, then reached for the Reagan comparison. "The only reason I said what I said is I have had so many Democrats walk up to me and say, 'Hey! We like you. We hoping you're gonna be the Republican — we're not gonna vote for you in the fall, but we think you make a lot of sense,'" Kasich said.

"It shows my ability, perhaps, to reassemble that old Reagan coalition, those blue-collar Democrats," he added.

Kasich drew another Reagan comparison a couple of minutes later, in response to his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio under the Affordable Care Act, for which he's drawn stinging criticism. Tapper asked if Kasich had really "rejected Obamacare," as he claims in a new TV ad, given that he chose to expand Medicaid.

Kasich did reject Obamacare, he said, because Ohio didn't set up its own state insurance exchange under its provisions.

And as for the Medicaid expansion, Kasich added, "Reagan expanded Medicaid five times."