I’m from Ohio.
He’s not that popular that republicans become brain dead about his chances to go on from Ohio.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I don’t know one single person who has spoken out about supporting him.
“He’s not that popular that republicans become brain dead about his chances to go on from Ohio.”
Most voters don’t think that strategically about who to vote for. They just vote on who they happen to like at the time.
That being said, I think it's possible Kasich snuck it out. Trump's TV ad campaign got stale, while Kasich had very gritty, OH-proud advertising. The party leadership had several robo-calls for Kasich, Trump had none. There could've been a silent majority in the Republican Party that does what they're told to do.
I'm also clueless about who was running Trump's campaign in OH. Three weeks ago, I was out holding signs. There was no record of whom was there or of what responses we were getting from passerby....thus no analysis was going on. The man and his wife who were in charge were more party hacks than Trump devotees. After that, there was NOTHING. They opened an office far from the population center of the county and retreated to it. I was SHOCKED that we weren't contacted the weekend before the election.
OH folks tend to be pretty isolated. I wish Trump's campaign had spelled out earlier Kasich's NAFTA vote and his Lehman Brothers "education". Tell people he changed in that time. Tell them that because of Kasich they lost jobs and pensions and banks don't pay interest on their savings. That the jobs that have returned aren't as good or as stable as the ones that went overseas. That the state is keeping all the money instead of letting towns run themselves. Get out that very bad list of biggest Kasich donors. None of that happened.
Yes, I did try to reach the campaign. No response.
I've been in my mind trying to figure out if there's a low-tech way to contrive votes. I have no doubt the state RNC would if they could.
JMHO
People who didn’t support him for President voted for him just to deny the 66 delegates to Trump.
“I don’t know one single person who has spoken out about supporting him”
Spoken out is speaking out, voting is voting.
Speaking out requires a bit of bravery, especially in our current iteration of society where having a non-liberal opinion is racist on its face, unless it’s bigoted, unless it’s homophobic or unless it’s all of those.
I strongly believe that for many, many people, voting is something like stepping into a church confessional (something I know nothing about since I am Jewish) and having one of those moments where people do what their daddy told them to do. It’s absolutely true for Jews, who in overwhelming numbers vote for the destruction of their homeland under the guise of supporting the union their grandfather belonged to. The subconscious drama of that moment, I believe, makes people forget their principles for a minute. Not everyone of course. The idea of a protest vote is....rare. These are my opinions only. You may think the privacy of the moment would allow people to opine and express. I just don’t believe it works that way in real life. People don’t like quiet. They don’t use the opportunity to think nor reflect.
I also believe that about 60% of people do not have the slightest grasp of any intelligent thought at all and simply vote for the more familiar name. Voting is IMO more an act of cowardice (for want of a milder word) than an exemplar of bravery or standing on principles.