Ohio Gov. John Kasich insisted Sunday that had he followed repeated calls to drop out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination, Donald Trump would already have all the delegates he needs to secure the bid.
"He would have won Ohio," the governor told NBC's Chuck Todd on
"Meet the Press" about Trump's chances in his home state. "And frankly, we'll win some districts in Wisconsin. We will move to Pennsylvania, where I'm basically in a statistical tie with Trump. And when we go to New York and everywhere else, we're going to pick up delegates.”
Kasich also told Todd that the calls from rival Ted Cruz's camp for him to drop out are "absurd," as he's the "only one that can win in the fall."
"Chuck, I'm beating Hillary by 11 points," said Kasich. "And as you noticed, the narrative over the last week has been, 'What is wrong with the party? Kasich's the guy that can win the general.’ Some people have said Kasich would be the best president."
And as for calls for him to drop out so he and Cruz can consolidate to defeat Trump?
“You know, if you really want, let them consolidate behind me, because frankly, I'm the one that can win in the fall," the governor told Todd. "And I'm the one that can get the crossover votes.”