5 reasons John Kasich is staying in the presidential race

Even though he has won just one state – Ohio – and finished fourth in a three-person contest in Arizona, Kasich is hoping there will be better days ahead, including in Pennsylvania, where he grew up. He cannot get enough delegates before the convention in Cleveland, but he is banking on the possibility that no one else will either. If the party turned to him in Cleveland, his name will forever be preserved in history books.

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2. He has no confidence that Donald Trump or Sen. Ted Cruz can win in November.

Polls bear this out: Kasich does better against Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders in hypothetical match-ups than either Trump or Cruz. Those same polls, however, favor Trump and Cruz for the GOP nomination. Kasich repeats this line at virtually every appearance on the campaign trail: “I’m the only Republican who can win in November.”

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3. He doesn’t particularly like either of his opponents.

There are indications Trump and Cruz are beginning to get under Kasich’s skin. He has gotten testy at times when asked about the latest insult thrown his way by Trump — at one point The Donald questioned his intelligence — and Cruz’s constant insistence that only he can beat Trump. “You can’t lose every state and expect to be the nominee,” Cruz told CNN recently. Countered Kasich adviser Charlie Black to a New York Times reporter, “You can’t coordinate with someone who’s whining that you need to get out of the race.”

4. He’s enjoying himself.

Being governor of a big state like Ohio is hard work. Appearing before mostly friendly crowds at town hall meetings is good for the soul. Kasich points with fondness to the dozens of town halls he has held from New Hampshire to Wisconsin. As long as he can keep his presidential campaign afloat with big-money donors who see him as the only establishment candidate remaining, he is in no hurry to return to Columbus, where the legislature is full of people more ideologically aligned with Ted Cruz than they are with him.

5. He has nothing to lose.

At 63, Kasich is still relatively young, but the window on elective office is closing. He can’t run again for governor and has already spent 18 years in Congress and run for president twice. He seems to be in line for a cabinet post, but those who know him don’t believe that is his motivation. The best conclusion is that he sees no upside to getting out now. People are still talking about him, they’re showing up at his town halls and he’s still getting endorsements. Some say he should get out for the good of the party, but those who have watched him through the years believe he will get out only when he thinks it’s for the good of John Kasich.