Advertisement Updated: Kasich team confirms former presidential candidate will return to NH on April 27 Ohio governor finished second to Trump in 2016 first-in-nation primary Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who finished second in the 2016 New Hampshire first-in-the-nation presidential primary, will return to the state on April 27, a top Granite State supporter confirmed Tuesday night.(Tuesday night, March 28 update)Concord lobbyist Bruce Berke, who was an adviser to Kasich's 2016 New Hampshire campaign, confirmed WMUR's earlier report in an email to reporters.Berke said that an event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College is among the stops planned.Kasich will release a new book two days before he arrives in the Granite State.He was last in New Hampshire in August to campaign for Chris Sununu during Sununu's successful run for governor.The governor's older brother, former Sen. John E. Sununu, was a national co-chairman of Kasich's presidential campaign. (Our earlier report, first published Monday night, follows.)Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who finished second in the 2016 New Hampshire first-in-the-nation presidential primary, is planning to return to the state in late April, within days of the release of his new book.Sources with knowledge of Kasich’s plans confirmed Monday that the governor has scheduled a return visit to the Granite State shortly after the April 25 release of “Two Paths: America Divided or United,” as part of a multi-state book tour.Sources say Kasich’s team is looking closely at April 27, but that the date has yet to be confirmed. Sources cautioned that his schedule a month out is subject to change. Kasich was the last of 16 opponents of President Donald Trump to be left standing at the end of the nomination battle a year ago. He has since been a critic of the president on some issues, while praising Trump’s choice of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the United States Supreme Court. Kasich said on Sunday that he has no plans to run again for political office.In New Hampshire’s lead-off presidential primary, Kasich finished second on the Republican side, with 16 percent of the vote to 35 percent for Trump. With the exception of Kasich’s primary victory in his home state of Ohio in March 2016, New Hampshire was the high-water mark of his campaign. He spent more than 70 days in the Granite State between Jan. 1, 2015 and the New Hampshire primary, which was held on Feb. 9, 2016.Kasich’s new book, his fourth, has been described by the Washington Post as an effort to contrast his calls for negotiation and inclusion with Trump’s more abrasive style – although Kasich did not mention Trump in an excerpt of the book provided to the Post.In an email sent Friday to supporters, promoting his book, Kasich wrote, “I believe our nation can be united again. The way forward is to focus on our shared moral compass — the one that points us to honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, faith, humility, compassion, forgiveness and tolerance — that will get us back on track."Although the book has the appearance of a lead-up to a possible second Kasich presidential candidacy, he denied in a weekend interview with CNN that he continues to have presidential aspirations.“No, no, no,” said Kasich when asked if he intends to challenge Trump for the GOP presidential nomination in 2020.“I’m not really interested in running for political office again. I’m interested in being a voice that can help bring the country together again,” he said. “Look, I have other things I have to do.”“You don’t close the door on anything, but I don’t have my eyes on that.”