Sen. [crscore]Marco Rubio[/crscore]’s communications director said Friday that Ohio voters should vote for Gov. John Kasich in an effort to derail Donald Trump’s efforts to win the GOP nomination.

Alex Conant, Rubio campaign spokesperson, was asked on CNN: “Will you right now tell supporters of Marco Rubio in Ohio to vote for John Kasich?”

“Yeah, I’m just stating the obvious. If you are a Republican primary voter in Ohio and you want to beat Donald Trump, your best chance in Ohio is John Kasich,” said Conant.

CNN asked him to clarify, and Conant did not waiver: “My answer is John Kasich is the one candidate in Ohio who can beat Donald Trump. That’s stating the obvious.”

He added, “If you are a Republican primary voter here in Florida and you don’t want Donald Trump to be your nominee, Marco Rubio is your best bet.” VIDEO: Cruz Supporter Says He Would Have Punched Trump If He Were Carson

This echoes the strategy Mitt Romney laid out in his speech last week, where he condemned Trump and urged voters to support the candidate in each respective state that has the best chance to beat the New York real estate developer.

The Kasich campaign has responded to these comments and don’t seem to be playing along.