Ohio Gov. John Kasich is the projected second-place finisher in New Hampshire giving the governor a stunning boost in the Republican primary, according to NBC and ABC and placing him atop the unofficial race for the Republican Party’s establishment lane.
Kasich ran a mostly positive campaign and made his name as one of the more moderate voices in the race, rebuffing far-out proposals like one from Donald Trump to deport 11 million immigrants. While many establishment candidates had bet their campaigns on the New Hampshire contest, Kasich’s dominance over Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie gives him a leg up and shows that maybe the beltway class had underestimated that budget hawk governor.
Kasich’s campaign had narrowly focused on New Hampshire, which could make it difficult for him to translate his win into long-term momentum. According to the Washington Post, Kasich has spent just 16 days in South Carolina. Only Christie has spent fewer days there of the remaining Republican presidential candidates.
One of the establishment candidates has to break 20% in the weeks ahead.
There’s no choice now…
It won’t be this one.
But he keeps that lane muddled through SC, which is more delegates to Trump and Cruz.
The grand strategy of going with proportional voting and rigging the calendar is working in the exact opposite of how the RNC envisioned it. The anti-establishment crowd was supposed to be the ones fighting for 3rd place into SC, not the establishment.
I look forward to the tricks the Bush campaign will play in “John McCain has an illegitimate black baby” South Carolina.
The only choice…the guy who tells Mitch “you are a liar”!!! http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/jul/25/ted-cruz-senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-liar-video
Rubio won Iowa and Kasich is winning NH; establishment wins again. Priebus’s strategy is working.