New York primary: Kasich vows to stay in race

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Monday vowed to stay in the presidential race, and called the tenor of the Republican primary battle "disgraceful."

Speaking at the first of two town hall meetings on Long Island, Kasich told about 300 supporters at Hofstra University that he was committed to staying in the race and ridiculed GOP front runner Donald Trump for suggesting otherwise.

"I'm dropping in, I'm not dropping out," Kasich said. "I mean, think about what this guy said. He said, 'He needs to get out of the race 'cause he's getting my votes and I want to have my votes. Kasich is not fair.'"

"I thought we got out of the sandbox years ago," he said.

Kasich, the first Republican primary candidate to launch a New York campaign ahead of the state's April 19 primary, also said he was the only GOP hopeful who could beat Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton in the general election. He asked New Yorkers to help him get there.

“We have an election coming up. So, if you did not care for my presentation today, don’t tell anybody," he joked. "But if you liked what I have to say or you want to give me a chance and you want me to get to that convention, I need your help. So please give it to me.”

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Kasich is running behind in the polls in New York, with 19 percent of likely Republican voters saying they would vote for him heading, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released March 31. The poll said 56 percent of New York voters support billionaire Donald Trump and 20 percent back Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

Trump leads in the national count as well with 736 pledged delegates, compared to 463 for Cruz and 143 for Kasich. A total of 1,237 delegates are needed to clinch the party's nomination before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.

Kasich also lags behind in the GOP race in Wisconsin, where 42 delegates are up for grabs on Tuesday. Recent polls have Cruz leading Trump by a comfortable margin, with Kasich far behind.

An additional 37 Republican delegates will be awarded in Colorado on April 8.

Kasich has no more events scheduled in Wisconsin, and has now turned his attention to New York, where 95 Republican delegates will be divvied up.

In addition to his appearance at Hofstra University, the Ohio governor had a second town hall meeting scheduled later in the day at The Paramount theater in Huntington, N.Y., and another in Fairfield County in Connecticut on Friday.

At Hofstra, he snapped back at Trump for telling reporters in Wisconsin that Kasich should drop out of the race, but criticized the negative tone of the GOP primary race and said he would remain "polite."

"I'm not going in there operating in the gutter, with smears and attacks and all this nonsense we see in this campaign," he said. "It's disgraceful."

He has campaigned as the most experienced and seasoned of the three remaining Republican presidential hopefuls. Before being elected governor in 2010, Kasich served nearly two decades in Congress, including 18 years as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and six as chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Kasich spoke of economic growth, rebuilding the military and empowering Americans.

"What I believe is that presidents should give people power," he said. "Presidents should transfer a lot of responsibility back to where we live and then it's up to us to take the power and use it to improve our country."

The message has resonated with some voters, who said they see Kasich as the most qualified in the GOP field.

“I just think he’s the most logical and intelligent speaking individual," said Michael Padro, 26, of Port Chester, who left his home at 6 a.m., then rode two trains and a cab to get to the town hall meeting. "I feel like some of the other candidates can be a little extreme with some of the things that they say, whereas Kasich is very calming and clear-to-meaning when he speaks.”

Kasich may have difficulty gaining momentum in New York, Trump's home state and a state where Democrats have the stronger foothold.

“I’m actually very interested in Gov. Kasich," said Adrie Moses-Bailey, a 22-year-old Hofstra finance major from New Rochelle who is backing Clinton. "If for some reason Hillary weren’t allowed to run I might thing about supporting Kasich."

While Kasich's New York appearances are leading the GOP into the state, Democratic candidates hit the ground running last week.

Clinton, a former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State from Chappaqua, launched her campaign in the Empire State on March 30 with a rally at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The folllowing day Clinton moved closer to home with a rally at SUNY Pruchase.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont kicked off his New York campaign on March 31, drawing more than 15,000 supporters to St. Mary's Park in the Bronx.

In addition to Wisconsin, where polls show Sanders with a narrow lead over Clinton in a bid for 96 delegates, there are also 18 Democratic delegates up for grabs in the April 9 Wyoming caucus before New York's primary.

Twitter: @jfitzgibbon