John Kasich drew boos on Sunday when said he said he believes the GOP presidential nomination will come from an open convention,
"If you can't get the magic number of delegates, then the delegates are going to choose," Kasich said at a
Fox News town hall attended by him and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Kasich’s comment was greeted with boos from members of the audience.
"I don’t know why they’re booing," Kasich said. "We want to win the White House."
Kasich pointed out his belief that the presidential nomination will not be won outright before the convention.
"We are going to an open convention. I have been saying it for two months," he said.
Kasich said he is meeting with delegates, saying, "We’re just talking about the numbers."
The Ohio governor pointed out the historical nature of an open convention and the precedents they have set.
"We've had ten Republican conventions that have been contested, and only three times did the person heading into the convention get picked," he said. "In 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower didn’t have the votes. He turned out to be a pretty good president."
Kasich said he believed that no convention rules such as the eight-state delegate rule were in effect. "There are no rules yet," he said.
Kasich also discussed some foreign policy matters. He said he believed the Obama administration is "too easy on the Saudis" and he accused the administration of "making a deal with the devil."
About the murders of eight family members in Ohio, Kasich’s state, he said, "We'll get to the bottom of it."
After the town hall, the Cruz campaign issued a statement saying they and the Kasich campaign are cooperating in their focus to defeat Donald Trump. Cruz’s campaign will focus on campaigning in Indiana, and "clear the path" for Kasich to campaign in Oregon and New Mexico.
Kasich released a tweet about the upcoming primaries.
"Our goal is to have an open convention," said the tweet. The tweet called Kasich "the only candidate who can defeat Secretary Clinton and preserve the GOP majority in the Congress."
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