John Kasich, who placed just behind Donald Trump in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, said Wednesday he's not concerned about potential attacks by the front-runner, and feels confident that staying positive is the key to winning.
"Somebody wants to mess with me, they're messing with the wrong guy," the Ohio governor told the
"Today" show's Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. "I'm not gonna sit there and be a marshmallow and have somebody pound me. We're not just gonna sit back and take a pounding from anybody, but at the same time we're going to tell people what we're for, and I think people really, really like it."
Earlier in the morning, Trump, appearing on the MSNBC "Morning Joe" program, said that
he considers Kasich a "nice guy," but indicated he may have to take a tougher stance against the governor after hearing what he called a "negative" advertisement aimed at him.
Kasich, who concentrated his campaign on New Hampshire in recent weeks, took 15.9 percent of the vote to place second to Trump, who earned 35.1 percent.
But Kasich told the "Today" show hosts that his win didn't come because other candidates faltered, but instead because "we were on our way up anyway."
Also, the governor said he was the only candidate with a positive message, and feels that such a stance "could overcome the darkness in a political campaign where we can say what we're for — bringing families together, creating jobs, making sure that no one gets left behind."
Kasich said he is gratified that he came in ahead of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and believes that his wins will continue, but still, "we'll see what happens. It's a long, long road to the nomination."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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