Ohio Governor John Kasich is comparing candidates like Donald Trump to the “Prince of Darkness” while declaring himself as the “Prince of Light and Hope.”

“Look, we have a lot of candidates who are like the ‘Prince of Darkness,’” Kasich, who reminds voters frequently that his father was a mailman, said in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt. “I consider myself the ‘Prince of Light and Hope’ and I don’t spend all my time getting people riled up about how bad everything is.”

Kasich, who struggled in the polls after he repeatedly attacked and lectured Donald Trump’s approach to politics, has recently tried to stay positive.

The Ohio governor reportedly has a “short fuse” and a “bad temper” that repeatedly surfaces in his political career, once highlighted as a strength in his presidential election.

“Kasich’s advisers say his bluntness will appeal to frustrated voters looking for a tell-it-like-it-is candidate who has sharp elbows and authenticity,” Politico reported in July 2015.

But with other candidates like Trump owning the “anger beat” the Kasich team has worked to enhance his sunny attitude as he works his way forward in New Hampshire.

“I don’t spend all my time getting people riled up about how bad everything is,” Kasich said to Hewitt. “I acknowledge the challenges, but then I said, come together, the Americans first, we can solve these problems. The people are hungry for that. People don’t want to have to live in the lane of depression.”

In the third Republican debate on CNBC, Kasich lashed out against populist candidates like Donald Trump and Ben Carson demanding that the Republican party refrain from picking a candidate “who doesn’t know how to do the job.”

“Folks, we’ve got to wake up,” he yelled.

But in the interview with Hewitt, Kasich denied being grumpy.

“I’ve been happy this entire campaign,” he declared.