Fresh off his second place finish in the New Hampshire Republican Primary, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is hungry for a win in South Carolina.
After arriving in the Palmetto State at 4:30 a.m., Kasich told voters at a pizza restaurant why he has the stomach to be president. "So, it's sort of like porridge. It's not too hot, it's not too cold. It's just about right. I'm running for president for one basic reason. I believe I can get the spirit back and I think I can get the economics back," Kasich said.
Kasich has run a mostly positive campaign, but he said he won't be soft in South Carolina. "I'm not going to be a pincushion or a marshmallow. But I'm also not going to spend my time trying to trash other people," he said.
Kasich focused his strategy almost solely on New Hampshire. According to the New York Times, he's only campaigned in South Carolina for 17 days. That's the least of any remaining candidate. So, what will it take for him to win there? "Drink a lot of coffee. No, I mean we're just going to do the best we can here. We're going to be moving from here and there's a lot of places that are coming down the road that will allow us to be successful, and you know, a lot of people are stepping up," Kasich said.
The South Carolina Republican Primary is Feb. 20.
