John Kasich says he plans to 're-shine' and 'restore the spirit of America'

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said his second-place finish in the New Hampshire Republican primary showed that "the light overcame the darkness of negative campaigning."

His rivals spent "tens of millions" going against him, he declared, and his campaign "never went negative because we have more good to sell than to spend our time being critical of someone else." Kasich told his volunteers they were his "insurance policy," and he didn't know how to thank them for the "countless hours, the phone calls, the door knocking." He also said there was "magic in the air" because his campaign was an "opportunity for all of us to be involved in something that is bigger than our own lives, to change America, to re-shine America, to restore the spirit of America, and to leave no one behind."

Kasich urged people to listen to one another, to "just slow down, look 'em in the eye, give them a hug." He said by spending time in New Hampshire, he learned "what it takes for someone to be a leader. It's not just what's up in the head, it's also what's deep in the heart." At the end of the speech, he did get in a few digs against the Democratic candidates, bringing up Hillary Clinton's second place finish and saying Bernie Sanders' victory speech was so long he "thought he was gonna hit his 77th birthday before he left the stage." Catherine Garcia

The Week

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