John Kasich

FILE - In this Aug. 25, 2016 file photo, Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks at the Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative opening summit in Cincinnati.

(John Minchillo, The Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Gov. John Kasich, who had vowed not to vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, voted Monday by absentee ballot.

His choice? Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Chris Schrimpf, the governor's political spokesman, confirmed the write-in vote to cleveland.com and said Kasich voted straight-ticket Republican on the rest of his ballot. Schrimpf added that Kasich was comfortable picking McCain, the 2008 GOP nominee for president, over Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Libertarian Gary Johnson, a former Republican on the ballot as a nonpartisan candidate.

The vote essentially is a symbolic gesture. Because McCain is not among the 18 certified write-in candidates in Ohio, Kasich's vote for president will not count.

Kasich ran unsuccessfully for this year's Republican nomination and made clear his concerns about Trump's rhetoric. He did not set foot inside Quicken Loans Arena during the GOP convention in Cleveland, despite being governor of the host state. He long hinted he would not be voting for Trump, even though he was among a crop of other GOP hopefuls who initially pledged to back the eventual nominee.

After video surfaced last month of Trump speaking of women in lewd and sexually aggressive terms, Kasich confirmed the New York businessman had lost his vote.

"Donald Trump is a man I cannot and should not support," Kasich said in an Oct. 8 statement. "The actions of the last day are disgusting, but that's not why I reached this decision, it has been an accumulation of his words and actions that many have been warning about. 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 has instead focused his efforts on helping Republicans in down-ballot races across the country, fueling speculation that he might mount another White House bid in 2020. Schrimpf said Monday that Kasich's political committee has now given maximum contributions to GOP candidates in competitive U.S. Senate candidates.