GOP Sets Up Narrative: Party’s Future Now Depends on John Kasich

With Ohio Gov. John Kasich having won his state’s GOP presidential primary, the national Republican Party is setting up the narrative that its future now depends on Kasich.

In a press release, Kasich campaign chief strategist John Weaver said with Kasich winning Ohio – the only state he has won thus far – the primary race is a “whole new ballgame.”

“As we’ve long-predicted and planned for, John Kasich won Ohio tonight, resetting the race,” Weaver said, continuing:

Tonight’s results make clear:

1. Gov. Kasich positive message and proven record can overcome the Donald Trump insult machine.

2. No candidate will win 1237 delegates.

3. With a narrowing field, Gov. Kasich is the candidate best positioned to go toe-to-toe in the remaining states. Our internal data shows that Rubio voters break to Gov. Kasich by a 3:1 margin. Senator Rubio will have to decide about the future of his campaign, but we believe voters in the remaining states will see this as a 3-person race no matter what.

4. With the electoral map shifting significantly in our favor, Gov. Kasich is positioned to accumulate a large share of the almost 1,000 remaining delegates and enter Cleveland in strong position to become the nominee.

5. Thanks to a consistent campaign plan and sound stewardship, Kasich for America’s financial resources are growing stronger. More and more supporters are coming on board as they recognize Gov. Kasich is the only candidate left who can take on Donald Trump, unite the Party and win the White House in November.

6. Of the 3 remaining viable candidates, only Gov. Kasich will defeat Hillary Clinton in an Electoral College landslide, sweeping in Republicans from the courthouse to the Senate. The other candidates would lose to Hillary Clinton in dramatic fashion and cost us seats in down-ballot races from California to Maine.

Conservative host Rush Limbaugh warned Tuesday that the GOP was setting up the narrative that its Party’s future “hangs on John Kasich.”

Limbaugh said:

Let me tell you, you Cruz people, you ought to be fit to be tied, because the Drive-By Media and even some people on Fox News are suggesting if Kasich wins Ohio today that he’s the new hero, he’s bigger than Cruz, he’s more important than Cruz. Has he won a state? He has not won a state, has he? Rubio’s at least won a state. Cruz has won nine or 10 or 11 states. Kasich, does he even have 50 delegates? I don’t have the delegate count, but look what they’re doing. If Kasich wins Ohio, that means he beats back Trump and that means the race — it’s why I said yesterday, if you really want to beat Trump, you need Trump to win both Florida and Ohio today. You need Kasich and Rubio out of this race. That’s the last best hope that people who want to defeat Trump have.

Keeping Kasich in this thing is not the answer. All they’re doing with that is angling for a contested convention where the establishment can work their magic, quote, unquote, and deny the will of the people as expressed by votes in the primary season. That’s what Kasich represents.

“John Kasich winning Ohio, they [the establishment] all believe, gives them the power/the right/the necessary energy and indication of support that they can go in and take control of this entire nominating process and do whatever they have to do to deny it to Trump,” Limbaugh said. “So that’s why they’re all claiming the future of the GOP today hangs on Ohio and what Kasich represents for them.”

Following Kasich’s win in Ohio, Kasich for America announced an expansion of its national strategy council to include “four well-known political veterans from around the country: Stu Spencer, Charlie Black, Vin Weber and Tom Ingram.”

“Governor Kasich showed tonight how you defeat Donald Trump and bring our party together,” said Weaver. “This is going to be a long road to the nomination in Cleveland, and we’re thrilled to grow our team of advisers with some of the best minds in the Republican Party.”