Saturday night's GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire was viewed as Ohio Governor John Kasich's best in the election cycle that officially kicked off six months to the day of the first debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
Kasich recognized the problem that often crowds debates.
"You get such limited time to communicate if you come to a town hall meeting," Kasich said. "You see John Kasich. But when you try to pin me in with 30 seconds and 60 seconds, it's pretty hard. But. you know, I'm getting better at it.'
"Tonight was a great night and we needed this tonight," he continued. "I don't think this decides the election, but it's another important hurdle to get over. And our ground game is just fantastic I mean there's hundreds and hundreds of people here knocking on doors, and if politics is true, we're going to have a really great night on Tuesday. I am absolutely thrilled."
Kasich's pitch is not only to New Hampshire's 260,000 Republicans, but to the 380,000 Independents.
"The independents have been coming our way all along so you know we just have to keep going," Kasich said.
"Look, the key to it is you just have to go, go, go -- all the way through the tape," he said, before adding a message for the people of Northeast Ohio.
"People have been so supportive and rooting for the hometown -- I'll never forget that. I love your Buckeyes and I'll be back soon," he said before adding, "not too soon."
"I'll be there at the convention getting nominated in Cleveland, yes!"
