http://www.wkyc.com/news/politics/elections/john-kasich-looks-to-michigan-after-super-tuesday/64231906JACKSON, Miss. -- Donald Trump narrowly edged out John Kasich in Vermont, keeping the Ohio governor from picking up his first state win, and rolled in the South, as Republicans divvied up nearly 600 delegates in Super Tuesday voting.
To win a state outright -- and defeat Trump -- would have given a boost to Kasich's campaign. His 33 percent to 30 percent loss to Trump marks his best finish of the primary season.
But Kasich failed to perform well in the cluster of Southern states that voted Tuesday, as Trump snapped them up and extended his lead over the GOP field. So on Super Tuesday night, Kasich already was focusing on his next hurdle: picking up delegates next week in Michigan and Mississippi and then, he hopes, coming from behind to win Ohio March 15. While he has continued in the race after poor showings in several states, he plans to drop out if he fails to win his home state.
Kasich compared his Ohio focus to basketball teams Tuesday night, after giving a speech at a fundraiser for two county GOP parties in Mississippi.
“You know … what they all fight for all season long?" he said. "Home court advantage. So I think I’m going to have a little bit of home court here in Mississippi."
And, he said: "We will beat Donald Trump in the state of Ohio.”
Of his Super Tuesday showing, Kasich said: “We have absolutely exceeded expectations."
MORE | Kasich says Ohio primary loss would mean "ballgame over"
Kasich had held multiple events in Vermont, a state full of moderate Republicans that borders New Hampshire, site of his second-place finish last month. Early Wednesday, only Trump and Kasich had cleared the 20 percent threshold to receive delegates from Vermont. If that continues to be the case, Vermont's 16 delegates will be divided proportionally between the two.
The Ohio governor also hoped to finish second in another New England state: Massachusetts. With 97 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, he was tied for second with Marco Rubio at 18 percent, well behind Trump's first-place 49 percent.
Looking ahead to next week, Kasich will have to clear 15 percent in Mississippi -- nearly twice his best performance in any other Southern state -- to pick up any delegates. Southern conservatives have tended to reject Kasich’s moderate stances on immigration, Common Core and Ohio's Medicaid expansion under President Barack Obama’s health care law.
INTERACTIVE | Presidential race delegate tracker
But Kasich says Mississippi will be different. He has the backing of Trent Lott, the former U.S. Senate majority leader from Mississippi, and U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Pearl.
Kasich might be too moderate for some Mississippi Republicans, acknowledged Cindy Phillips, of Madison, who supports the Ohio governor. Still, she said: “We all can’t have everything we want. He approaches it in an adult manner. He’s got the experience of a governor.”
Nevertheless, Kasich’s prospects for the GOP nomination continue to be slim. Then again, the only Republican with a clear path to the nomination is Trump.
Kasich had gained some momentum coming out of New Hampshire. Then, Rubio sought to take the anti-Trump mantle after his better-than-expected performance in South Carolina Feb. 20. But Rubio won only one Super Tuesday state -- Minnesota. Ted Cruz won his native Texas and Oklahoma. Trump, on the other hand, continues to snap up both wins and delegates.
RESULTS | Republicans on Super Tuesday
Kasich says he will build momentum by winning delegates in Mississippi and Michigan next week, then win the Ohio primary on March 15. Still, polls cast doubt on his ability to succeed in this plan. The latest Michigan polls show Kasich in fourth, with about 11 percent of the vote. Candidates must reach 15 percent to receive delegates under the state’s primary rules. Trump leads Michigan with 38 percent in those polls.
In his home state, Kasich trails Trump by 5 percentage points. Trump held a rally in Columbus Tuesday, mispronouncing Kasich's name and saying winning the Buckeye State "is going to send a signal like nothing else."
Kasich is not alone in battling Trump in his home state. Rubio's outlook looks worse: He is trailing Trump by 16 to 20 percentage points in of Florida.
"The pundits say we’re underdogs. I'll accept that. We’ve all been underdogs," Rubio told supporters Tuesday in Florida. "But we will win."
For either candidate, a home-state loss would be crippling. A win would provide new momentum.
RESULTS | Democrats on Super Tuesday
"This could become a two-person race on March 15 when Rubio loses Florida and we win Ohio," Kasich strategist John Weaver told reporters over the weekend. "It’s kind of win or go home -- like March Madness. We have to win Ohio or not go further."
But the Rubio campaign on Tuesday sought to set expectations for a "long war" against Trump, possibly one that lasts until the GOP convention in July in Cleveland. "We are NOT going to hand over our party to a dangerous con artist," the campaign said in an email to supporters.
Kasich strategist Weaver suggested Rubio should drop out after his less-than-dynamic showing Tuesday.
"Senator Rubio has been more hyped than Crystal Pepsi, but he has flopped even worse. Even a well-conceived, high-financed marketing campaign won’t work if people don’t want to buy the product," Weaver said in a memo emailed to reporters Tuesday night. "Rubio’s presence in the race is keeping Republicans from consolidating around Governor Kasich – and as the race moves toward states more fertile for Governor Kasich this dynamic can be expected to become more pronounced."
Whispers about the need for Kasich to drop out also continued overnight.
Cruz, meanwhile, got his chance to win his home state of Texas Tuesday and picked up Oklahoma as well. He argued his wins in Iowa and in those two states prove he is the only viable alternative to Trump. He called Tuesday for other candidates with fewer wins – that is, Kasich, Rubio and Ben Carson -- to "prayerfully consider" dropping out.
Weaver, of the Kasich team, countered Cruz won't be able to "grow beyond his current level of support" once more northern states start to cast ballots.
All non-Trump candidates are likely to face headwinds in their candidacies post-Super Tuesday. With Trump winning at least seven of 11 states Tuesday, he has cemented his status as the GOP front-runner.
