John Kasich

Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks at a town hall event at Utah Valley University, Friday, March 18, 2016, in Orem, Utah. (

(Kim Raff, The Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ohio Gov. John Kasich entered March with roughly $1.25 million on hand for his Republican presidential bid, a campaign finance report filed Sunday shows.

The amount will place Kasich far behind his two remaining rivals for the nomination.

Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump is using his personal wealth, in addition to donations, to bankroll his front-running bid. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, meanwhile, began the month with $8 million, according to his campaign's filing.

But the report shows that Kasich's fundraising picked up steam after his second-place New Hampshire finish, which elevated him as a contender, and after Jeb Bush dropped out of the race later in the month. After raising slightly more than $1 million in January, Kasich brought in $3.4 million in February, according to Sunday's report. The campaign spent $3.6 million last month.

The report does not include what Kasich collected in recent days, following his home-field win in the Ohio primary and the exit of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio - another candidate who appeals to GOP establishment donors - from the race.

Kasich has never been among the top Republican fundraisers. He and his advisers have expressed confidence, though, that they can consolidate support from deep-pocketed contributors who had backed other candidates and remain uneasy about a Trump or Cruz nomination. The campaign is digging in for a long fight until the Republican National Convention four months from now in Cleveland.

After New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out last month, for example, Kasich signed mega-donor Ken Langone, long a Christie champion. In recent days, his campaign has announced support from other so-called bundlers who can help the governor raise more cash.

Kasich also is receiving help from the super-political action committee New Day for America, which operates without contribution limits. That organization reported raising $3.2 million last month and had $2.5 million on hand as March began.