For Ohio Governor John Kasich, savoring Tuesday night's second place finish means waking up in South Carolina and heading to a shopping center outside Charleston to hold a town hall.
It's the first of three events here on Wednesday and nine through Friday, as he looks to connect with Palmetto State voters before the state's March 20 primary -- the same way he did with those in New Hampshire.
That being said, Kasich's Senior Strategist John Weaver said South Carolina offers a different challenge.
"The states that are downstream from New Hampshire are not the same kind of hand-to-hand combat -- they're bigger, they're more message oriented," Weaver said.
"But we have a very good organization. We have 12 staff people there now, and by [Wednesday] afternoon they'll be 200 volunteers and additional staff," he said.
Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America, Kasich, who had an estimated $4 million in negative ads run against him in New Hampshire -- mostly from the Jeb Bush super PAC -- said he hopes his second place finish sends a message.
"The light really did overcome the darkness. I had so many millions in ads run against me and yet we come out of there in a strong second. It's pretty remarkable and it feels great this morning," Kasich said, knowing the barrage will only intensify with his second place finish.
"You got the Bush campaign -- I think they spent $120 million and they've got like four delegates," Kasich continued. "I mean, they got blown out in Iowa and did poorly in New Hampshire. They are spending all their money going negative."
"I think it's sad -- I think it's a sad situation when you've got to rely on negative to move voters, which they haven't been able to do as opposed to articulating a positive vision," Kasich said. "Why don't they do that?"
The Bush camp is already attacking Kasich for not having the ground game in South Carolina needed to win, which Kasich dismissed.
"It's a long race," Kasich said. "We're here in South Carolina, we're going to be here, we're going to go through South Carolina ultimately to the Midwest, and you know what it's like in Illinois and Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania."
Kasich will be campaigning in Michigan next Monday and Tuesday before returning to South Carolina.
Kasich said he feels good looking south as well, where former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi is one of his national co-chairs.
"The guy doesn't lose many," Kasich said. "We are very strong there, we've got the governor of Alabama, we are building a team in Tennessee. This is a long, long race and everybody always underestimates me, but it seems to always kind of work out. We're just going to put one foot in front of the other."
