Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been out of the presidential race for nearly two months. Meanwhile, Donald Trump will likely be named the Republican party's nominee at the convention in Cleveland three weeks from today.

Want to know what's happening in Ohio government and politics from Columbus to Washington, D.C.? The Columbus Dispatch has you covered.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been out of the presidential race for nearly two months. Meanwhile, Donald Trump will likely be named the Republican party's nominee at the convention in Cleveland three weeks from today.

Dispatch reporters Jessica Wehrman and Randy Ludlow look into what's up with an email from Team Kasich reminding supporters that he - not Trump - is beating Hillary Clinton in certain polls.

What Team Kasich said: "The governor is in high demand to help across the country in what's going to be a very troubled general election, to say the least," said John Weaver, Kasich's chief strategist who penned the email.

What an expert said: "Campaigns that do this would love to unseat the party's nominee at the convention. This is still very turbulent. The former Republican presidents have not endorsed Trump. The former Republican nominees have not endorsed Trump. Many of the party's major donors are sitting back waiting. He has little cash on hand and has shown little desire to run a campaign, hire staff, or raise money. His poll numbers have dropped recently. All of these things must give pause to the GOP, its delegates, and those who want to see the party win in November," Cedarville University's Mark C. Smith, an associate political science professor, said.

What Team Trump said: "The light at the end of the tunnel they see is another retainer check," said Barry Bennett, a Trump consultant who suggested the email was another attempt by GOP consultants to earn a paycheck.

A reminder: Kasich has refused to endorse Trump but said he will not actively lead any movement to unseat him either.

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Remember that pledge? Many months ago, when there were Republican primary field was crowded, the candidates signed a pledge saying they would support whoever the winner was. Well, that hasn't happened and Trump has some thoughts on it.

"They signed a pledge saying they will abide, saying they will back the candidate of the party," Trump said during a campaign appearance in Bangor, Maine, according to CNN.

"They broke their word. In my opinion, they should never be allowed to run for public office again because what they did is disgraceful," Trump said.

Who he is talking about: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Kasich have all refused to support Trump. Kasich has likened it to a divorce.

"It's painful, it's painful. People even get divorces," Kasich told MSNBC in June when asked about his pledge. "I mean sometimes things come about that, look I'm sorry that this has happened but I mean we'll see where it ends up, I'm not making any final decision yet but at this point, I just can't do it."

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Sounds...fun: "Dozens of well-known Republicans aren't showing up. There's no word yet on who will speak. A growing number of corporate sponsors are taking a pass. Groups of white supremacists and other agitators are on the way, while the official protest routes are frantically being redrawn after being thrown out in court. And then there's the fight to dethrone the big star," Washington Post reporters Ed O'Keefe and Dave Weigel write. "With less than three weeks to go, Donald Trump's Republican National Convention in Cleveland is poised to be the most chaotic GOP gathering of the modern era."

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A little more insurance: "Cleveland officials on Wednesday voted to buy a $50 million 'protest insurance' policy for the Republican National Convention - a five-fold increase over what was previously approved - in a tangible sign that city officials now believe the risk of hosting the event is larger than what was initially believed," cleveland.com's Andrew J. Tobias writes. "The policy would protect the city and its employees against any claims resulting from hosting and providing security for the convention. So-called "protest insurance" recently has become standard for cities hosting major political conventions."

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Take that, Dallas: "Cleveland has blocked $50,000 of advertising planned by the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote the Texas city at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport during the Republican National Convention, according to the Dallas Morning News," cleveland.com's Robin Goist writes. "Dallas, the runner-up city to host this year's convention, had centered its RNC bid on technical and logistical advantages it believes it has over Cleveland."

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Happening today: While in the state to talk about cancer awareness, Vice President Joe Biden will headline fundraisers in Cleveland and Columbus for former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland who is looking to upset Sen. Rob Portman from his U.S. Senate seat.

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On the countdown: 131 days until the general election.

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Husted wins a lawsuit: "Secretary of State Jon Husted is not illegally removing voters from voter registration rolls, a federal judge ruled Wednesday," Dispatch reporter Jim Siegel writes.

"The ACLU argued Husted violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by canceling the registrations of those who do not update their registrations or vote over six years, including three federal general elections. Voters also are sent a confirmation notice."

The judge, however, disagreed.

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Mr. Yost goes to Washington: State Auditor Dave Yost will testify in Washington, D.C., next week about an audit his office did on the $2.5 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Dispatch reporter Catherine Candisky writes.

The audit found "$13,598 of benefits issued to dead people being spent more than a year after their deaths. It also pointed to questionable practices that Yost said could signal fraud including out-of-state purchases, large individual card balances and repeated use of cards in a one-hour period. Yost said the report would help state officials uncover possible illegal activity," Candisky writes.

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Of note: "A local veteran, who spent most of his life hiding his sexual orientation and military history, died Monday months after clearing his name," Dispatch reporter William T. Perkins writes.

"Donald Hallman, an 83-year-old from the South Side, was "undesirably discharged" from the Army in 1955 after being labeled "homosexual." After several years in search of vindication, his discharge status was officially upgraded to "honorably discharged" five months ago. His reversal was the first for the Stonewall Columbus program that seeks to help LGBT veterans with their discharges."

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, also worked with Hallman to get the reversal and said in statement "Mr. Hallman served our nation honorably in the Army and we owe him our respect and gratitude."

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meverhart@dispatch.com

@meverhart26