CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — Gov. John Kasich delivered a 15-minute speech to Republican delegates Tuesday and managed to ignore the Republican National Convention under way in his home state.
Instead, Kasich told delegates from Michigan he’d focus on electing down-ballot Republicans in 2016, such as New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, both of whom have shunned the convention that will nominate Donald Trump.
“For me throughout this election season, I’m going to spend an enormous amount of time with Senate and House members,” Kasich said in this Cleveland suburb. “I’m going to be traveling the country to help the senators get re-elected.”
With apparent time on his hands, Kasich even offered to travel to the Wolverine State to campaign for non-Trump local candidates.
“I’ll come to Michigan. If I can show up and we can raise some money, or I come up and help some candidate, I’d be more than glad to do it,” he said.
The breakfast meetings are typically a chance to fire up delegates to get to work for the nominee, but the dejected Kasich offered a humdrum speech about his travels to Michigan.
“It was terribly disappointing,” one Michigan Republican in attendance said of the overt omission of Trump.
“He wasn’t fired up,” murmured another Trump supporter who had hoped Kasich would show some love for the nominee.
The former White House hopeful has declined to endorse Trump since dropping out of the race and has skipped the marquee convention that his state had fought so hard to get.
Kasich is trolling the convention by hosting his own party at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
He’s drawn fire from Trump allies for his refusal to get on board.
“These are John’s choices and he’s duly elected to make that choice,” said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
“My only disappointment with my friend John is that he signed a pledge. He did and the 15 of us [presidential candidates] did. I think that pledge meant something and should mean something.”
Kasich has been critical of Trump’s harsh policies against Muslims and Mexican undocumented immigrants entering the US and hinted at that Tuesday.
“When I look at the demographics and I see the significant increase in Asian-Americans, when I see the significant increase in Hispanics, when I take a look at Republican Party efforts to convert young people … our party has to be … a lifting and a hopeful party,” Kasich said.
“That party that can enunciate the hopes and the dreams and the unity is the party that’s going to do well in changing demographics. We can’t continue to talk to the same ol’ people because there’s not enough of us to talk to.”
Kasich skipped out on a planned media scrum afterward. He took pictures with delegates and ignored a reporter’s question about skipping the convention. He left through a back door.