Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivers address at the Peoples Bank Theatre in Marietta, Ohio on April 6. | AP Photo Kasich camp on Trump's poll woes: Told you so A top aide to the governor is using new polling to claim that Kasich, not Trump, is the best candidate to take on Hillary Clinton.

John Kasich suspended his run for president nearly two months ago, but his campaign is still arguing that he, and not Donald Trump, would be the best candidate to take on Hillary Clinton.

On Wednesday, the Ohio governor's top political adviser trumpeted a new round of polls that showed Kasich besting Clinton in swing states — and showed Trump getting decimated.


“Under a modeled electorate, Trump loses every swing state by 6-12 points. Governor Kasich wins 6 out of 7 swing states. Speaker Ryan wins 2 out of 7 swing states,” wrote John Weaver, Kasich’s former senior campaign adviser, in an email to supporters. “This data is just further proof that Governor Kasich is the most popular Republican politician in the nation today and it underlines why his efforts to help our U.S. Senate and House candidates are so very important."

Kasich hasn’t endorsed Trump and insists he doesn’t want to speak at the mogul’s convention, even though it’s in his state. In fact, Weaver told POLITICO this week that Kasich and Trump haven’t spoken since May, despite Trump being in the midst of planning his convention in Cleveland.

Asked about the thinking behind this new email, Weaver said it was intended “to show how tremendously helpful he will be as we fight in a very difficult environment to keep control of the House and Senate, and other down ballot races.”

“Also shows that a positive, conservative reform message which includes everyone is the right message for Republicans,” he added.

The message is the latest sign of lingering division among the former presidential rivals and the challenge the party faces in uniting factions that splintered amid the bitter last months of the GOP primary.