John Shinkle/POLITICO Kasich: Contested convention would be 'exciting'

Ohio Gov. John Kasich knows his only road to the Republican presidential nomination runs through a contested GOP convention this summer, and he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

“George, no one is going to have the numbers. What are you talking about?” Kasich responded to ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos’ suggestion that the Ohio governor has no way to earn the number of delegates needed to earn the Republican nomination without a contested convention.


“What's the big deal about that, other than it's exciting?” Kasich continued. “Think about how much education our kids are going to get, about the way in which we pick a president. …I think it will be very cool.”

Asked by Stephanopoulos about a poll released Sunday morning that shows him a distant fourth place in Michigan, a northern state where he had hoped to do well, Kasich defended his Midwest-based strategy.

The Ohio governor insisted he’ll perform well in Michigan and guaranteed a win in his home state on March 15, a victory that will reset the race and make it “a whole new ballgame.”

Kasich attributed his low standing in the polls to a lack of media coverage. The Ohio governor has worked to position himself the reasonable, mature candidate among a GOP field that, led by Donald Trump, has often devolved into attacks and crass jokes. Kasich said his unwillingness to sling mud with rival candidates has kept him from gaining traction in the news cycle.

“The problem is you guys didn't give me any coverage. For six months, I wallowed at 1 percent in the polls. Why? Because I'm not name-calling,” the Ohio governor said. “You want to look at the amount of coverage people get when they name-call as compared to the discussion about policy and who can run the country? That's indisputable. You know that.”

