John Kasich says the last Republican debate was like a 'demolition derby'


Ohio Gov. John Kasich is hoping that by being reasonable, he'll be able to stand out from the rest of the Republican presidential candidates.
On Tuesday's Late Night with Seth Meyers, the host asked Kasich if it's been difficult for him to be equitable "when there's so much noise out there." Referring to last week's three hour CNN debate, Kasich said it was like a "demolition derby," and he was "just trying not to crash my car into the wall."
Meyers noted that Kasich has refrained from saying "outrageous things" like the race's frontrunner, and wondered if he could "continue to survive on the campaign." Kasich said that he's in the "top tier" in New Hampshire, and shared his mantra with Meyers. "I want to be positive," he said. "I want to be a uniter. I'm not going to go out and say outrageous things or make promises that I can't keep to win because if I did that, I'd be violating my own principles. If I lost by not being myself I'd never forgive myself. If I don't win and I'm still being positive, with good ideas and trying to bring people together and give people a sense of hope and purpose, then I'll be a winner regardless of what happens." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailout
Talking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Crossword: October 5, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland