COLUMBUS, Ohio — A philosophical Gov. John Kasich suspended his 10-month campaign for president Wednesday.
His departure left New York real estate developer Donald Trump as the only claimant to the Republican Party nomination, though Mr. Kasich had so few delegates that he wasn’t regarded as a serious threat.
“The Lord has a purpose for me, as he has for everyone, and as I suspend my campaign today, I have renewed faith, deeper faith, that the Lord will show me the way forward and fulfill the purpose of my life. Thank you and God bless,” Mr. Kasich said at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens — the same place where he announced his endorsement by former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in March.
Mr. Kasich did not say why he quit the race or shed light in his 16-minute speech on whether he’ll support Mr. Trump, whose proposals he has denounced as “disturbing.”
Mr. Kasich earned a national reputation during the 205-day campaign for hugging people, saying offbeat things, and telling “dad jokes.” He participated in 13 national debates, where he recalled his roots as the son of a letter carrier in McKees Rocks and his role as chairman of the House Budget Committee in balancing the federal budget during the 1990s.
His brand of conservative governance included looking out for the most unfortunate, extending access to Medicaid even though it was a feature of Obamacare, and accepting the education program Common Core, which is hated by many Republicans.
After finishing second in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, he never gained traction with a GOP base that was looking for outsiders. The high point of his race was Ohio, where he won all 66 delegates March 15.
Mr. Kasich, 63, a former congressman, is midway through his second gubernatorial term. His absence from Ohio and the cost to its taxpayers of his security detail was generating more and more grumbling.
A poll from Democrat-affiliated Public Policy Polling released this week suggested Ohioans are tiring of the arrangement and want him back home. But Mr. Kasich seemed determined as late as Tuesday evening to stay in the race.
That changed Wednesday after he failed to show at a campaign event in Virginia then scheduled a 5 p.m. announcement, which was quickly determined to be his exit speech.
After winning all 57 delegates in the Indiana primary Tuesday, Mr. Trump is within reach of the 1,237 delegates needed to cinch the nomination before the July 18 GOP convention in Cleveland. The other remaining opponent of Mr. Trump, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, suspended his campaign Tuesday night.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called Mr. Trump the “presumptive nominee.”
Mr. Kasich started by thanking his wife, Karen, teenage daughters Emma and Reece, his staff, his volunteers, his contributors, and the people of Ohio.
“Our staff — nobody has ever done more with less in the history of politics than the staff has done,” he said, his eyes tearing at times.
He gave a mini-summary of his political philosophy, centering on economic growth as the foundation of national strength, then turned spiritual.
“When we reach out and help someone else, what it does is it opens ourselves to recognizing and receiving the help we need in our lives. It’s a virtuous circle,” he said.
Ohio Republican Chairman Matt Borges said the party will unite behind Mr. Trump as the party’s nominee and declined to comment on whether Mr. Kasich would do the same.
“I’m sure he’ll work hard to make sure Republicans get elected this year,” he said. “I know he’s going to be up in Cleveland [at the convention]. I’ll let this sink in and let him decide what he wants to do moving forward.
“We have a million new registered Republicans in Ohio. I don’t think anybody on this campaign has anything to be ashamed of or feel bad about.”
Political observer Larry Sabato, of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Mr. Kasich might make a perfunctory endorsement, then plead that he’s too busy to spend time on politics.
“Kasich can be unpredictable. Normally we’d just assume an endorsement of the winner, but Trump is no ordinary nominee. And I suppose Kasich is no ordinary rival. I’d say he would indicate he’s voting for the GOP candidate — then stay very busy through November,” Mr. Sabato said.
When or if he does endorse Mr. Trump, Mr. Kasich may have to explain how he overcame his objections to Mr. Trump’s policy proposals.
During a speech in New York April 12, Mr. Kasich criticized some of Mr. Trump’s proposals as “disturbing.” Those were ‘‘to create a religious test for immigration, to target neighborhoods for surveillance, impose draconian tariffs which would crush trade and destroy American jobs,” and to “drop out of NATO, abandon Europe to Russia, possibly use nuclear weapons in Europe, end our defense partnerships in Asia, and tell our Middle East allies that they have to go it alone.”
To Rob Gleason, the Pennsylvania GOP chairman, it wasn’t Mr. Kasich’s relatively moderate politics that cost him the nomination. Instead, his failure stemmed from Republican cravings for “an outsider,” the chairman said.
“It’s not about him. John Kasich has been in government a long time. People are seeking a new person,” Mr. Gleason said. “And that’s why Donald Trump fits the bill for them right now.”
Glenn Putas, 62, of Stowe, who went to high school with Mr. Kasich, had a different take. He figures a lack of recognition hurt the former candidate, who grew up in and near McKees Rocks.
“I think he was an unknown unless you follow politics, even though he's been in the game long enough,” said Mr. Putas, a Democratic township commissioner who supported Mr. Kasich. “I don’t think he got the publicity and the exposure to the everyday household.”
Now Mr. Putas isn’t sure for whom he will vote. He thinks Mr. Trump “has no philosophical values.”
“It’s more of a popularity contest where we are right now instead of the issues and what’s best for our country,” Mr. Putas said.
The Block News Alliance consists of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Blade of Toledo, Ohio. Tom Troy and Jim Provance are reporters for The Blade.
First Published: May 4, 2016, 4:23 p.m.
Updated: May 5, 2016, 3:52 a.m.
