Susan Miller

USA TODAY

Republican John Kasich is a man of his word.

The Ohio governor, who has pledged not to vote for GOP nominee Donald Trump, voted by absentee ballot Monday and wrote in Sen. John McCain, Kasich spokesman Chris Schrimpf confirmed to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Schrimpf told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Kasich voted straight-ticket Republican on his ballot and was comfortable tapping the Arizona senator for his vote.

Kasich ended his own campaign for the GOP nomination in May in an emotional speech in Columbus, Ohio. Kasich said voters had "changed me with the stories of their lives," and he highlighted some of the most moving moments of his campaign.

The Ohio governor had been intent on staying in the race as the lone alternative to Trump's candidacy. But he won only his home state and trailed Trump by nearly 900 delegates when he bowed out. On the eve of his exit, the campaign tweeted out a homage to Star Wars, suggesting Kasich was the only hope to defeat Trump and prevent a Hillary Clinton presidency.

Kasich slams Trump for 'rigged' election talk

As the summer wore on, the Trump and Kasich teams became embroiled in a feud over whether Trump ever seriously wanted Kasich to join the ticket as his vice president amid a swirl of speculation. Kasich, who a year earlier signed a pledge to support the eventual nominee, did not attend the GOP convention, even though he was the governor of the host state.

After the convention, the ill-will continued as Trump said he would "probably" create a political action committee to fund opponents of some of his rivals, such as Kasich.

Three weeks ago, Trump's lewd comments about women on a 2005 tape apparently sealed the deal for Kasich. He issued a statement saying he would not vote for the GOP nominee.

Trump “is a man I cannot and should not support,” he said. “The actions of the last day are disgusting, but that’s not why I reached this decision. ...I will not vote for a nominee who has behaved in a manner that reflects so poorly on our country. Our country deserves better.”

Kasich's McCain vote won't count, however. Ohio law requires write-in candidates to file with the secretary of state more than two months before Election Day.

In McCain, Kasich is voting for one of the earliest targets of Trump's insults. Trump said last summer that McCain, a former prisoner of war and a U.S. senator from Arizona, is "not a war hero" because he was captured.

Kasich also fashioned his primary campaign in New Hampshire after McCain's town-hall based efforts in 2000 and 2008.

Kasich has continued to travel the country since abandoning his presidential bid, keeping his name in front of voters and campaigning for Republicans in tight congressional races.

No Republican has won the presidency without carrying Ohio since Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

Contributing: Chrissie Thompson, the Cincinnati Enquirer

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