John Kasich: ‘We Don’t Expect to Win Here’ In South Carolina

Gov. John Kasich, coming off a strong second-place finish in the New Hampshire Republican Primary, does not have high hopes for winning the South Carolina Republican Primary, but pledges to “compete” in The Palmetto State.

He told CNN Wednesday that he does not forecast a win in South Carolina.

“Yes, we’re going to compete here. We don’t expect to win here,” the Republican candidate for President said.

Kasich finished atop his Republican establishment rivals in New Hampshire, easily defeating Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who are competing for the same constituency.

But the Ohio Governor said he will do well in the southern states, as Super Tuesday approaches.

“Over time, I sure do. What do you think I’d be doing down here? I’d go home if I didn’t think I could compete. Of course I think I can compete,” he told CNN. “You’ve got to remember, in this 24-7 news cycle, the narrative changes like the flip — one minute you’re dead the next minute you’re alive, the next minute you’re dead, the next minute you’re alive.”

In what could be an alarming sign for his establishment foes in Bush and Rubio, Kasich said that new streams of money are flowing into his campaign coffers.

Kasich explained:

The money’s coming now, everybody wants a seat at the table. Not everybody maybe, but my early reports are people who sat around and said “You know, I like Kasich, he’s smart, he’s experienced, he’d be a great president, but he’s at 1% in the polls. What am I going to do? I’m not going to help him.”

Now, all of the sudden, they’re like, “How do I get a seat at the table?”

The Kasich campaign announced that it had raised about $500,000 between Tuesday and Wednesday following the Ohio Governor’s strong showing in New Hampshire.

With their rivalry heating up, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush continues to take shots at Kasich, highlighting his decision to massively expand social welfare programs in Ohio.

Though the left-leaning media has continued to push his candidacy, Planned Parenthood has recently launched a full-scale campaign targeting Gov. Kasich.

The pro-choice group is spending five figures in ad buys hoping to pressure Kasich not to sign a bill to take away Planned Parenthood’s $1.3 million in government funding.