Voters didn't get message
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The last man standing in Donald Trump’s path to the Republican nomination, Ohio Gov. John Kasich ended his campaign Wednesday, making Trump the party’s presumptive nominee.
Speaking in Columbus, Ohio, Kasich didn’t outline his reasons for ending his bid or mention Trump. Instead, he offered an emotional recount of his exchanges with voters on and renewed his call for Americans to spend more time helping one another.
He acknowledged it was a message that never seemed to resonate.
“The spirit, the essence of America lies in the hearts and souls of us,” he said. “Some missed this message. It wasn’t sexy, it wasn’t a great soundbite.”
Despite his inability to win any contests beyond Ohio, Kasich held on to become the last candidate battling Trump — albeit for only a few hours. His decision to end his campaign came a day after his other remaining rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, announced that he was suspending his campaign.
Touting his two terms as governor and 18 years in Congress, Kasich failed to gain traction with GOP voters in a race dominated by Trump’s ability to seize on the electorate’s anger and disdain of political insiders. Although Kasich tried to pitch himself as the best Republican to take on Hillary Clinton, the weight of the anti-Trump faction never got behind him.
Viewed widely as a longshot candidate from the start, Kasich’s popularity shot up after his strong second-place finish in New Hampshire’s primary. But from the South to the Midwest, many voters were captivated by his boisterous rivals, and his efforts to cast himself as a nicer alternative fell short.
