NEWS

John Kasich makes final, positive pitch as opponents turn on each other in GOP debate

Chrissie Thompson
cthompson@usatoday.com
John Kasich takes the stage for  the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College Saturday.

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- John Kasich stuck with his "stay positive" strategy in the final debate before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, on which the Ohio governor has staked his presidential campaign.

The approach meant he waited more than 22 minutes for his first chance to speak Saturday night and seemed to have disappeared in the debate's first half. But as the night continued, Kasich managed to keep a positive, even joyful tone. He interrupted successfully, he outlined major policy plans, and at one point he used speaking time to laugh goofily about the debate tactic of responding when another candidate wages an attack.

For Kasich, the debate offered one last chance to persuade New Hampshire's famously last-minute deciders to give him a chance. He has polled as high as second in the Granite State, with most recent polls showing him in third.

After he had outlined what he called a "practical" approach to immigration, a compassionate view of conservatism and a vision for working across party lines, Kasich clearly thought he'd made his point -- and started celebrating.

"And we can do it! And we can do it!” he exclaimed, over applause, after he talked about uniting Republicans and Democrats to break gridlock.

And then:

“Anybody who is here tonight, if I get elected president, head out tomorrow and buy a seat belt. ... We're going to move America forward. I promise you."

The transformation of John Kasich

Left out of awkward opening

As the debate opened, it seemed Kasich's positive approach might leave him out of the debate. The event's early moments turned into a circus of confusion and a barrage of attacks.

The opening TV shots showed the candidates being introduced and walking in from the wings. But Ben Carson and then Donald Trump refrained from entering the stage until the end, apparently because they didn't hear their names called over the applause. Candidates eventually brushed past the two -- Jeb Bush patted Trump on the shoulder and sort of shrugged -- as the ABC News moderators sought to bring Carson and Trump onto the stage.

Republican candidates miss their cues to enter the Presidential Debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016.

They finally did so and sought to start the debate. But Kasich remained in the wings, awaiting the introduction he'd apparently never heard.

"Where's Kasich?" Chris Christie asked. "What about Kasich? Can I introduce Kasich?"

When Kasich finally entered the stage, he took up a no-attacks strategy. Kasich has avoided criticizing his opponents, last week lambasting a negative ad from his own political action committee. He spent the remainder of the week boasting of, and earning headlines about, his positive campaign, although the PAC has continued to run an ad that mocks other candidates and criticizes their negative ads.

The opening several questions of the debates asked candidates to defend or respond to attacks they'd levied against or received from other candidates. Kasich has avoided direct attacks, so moderators didn't ask him questions.

When they finally asked him a question, Kasich sought to sell his positive approach.

Compared with the debate's opening minutes, "every one of my 100 town halls in New Hampshire were a lot more fun than what I saw here today, were so much more positive,” he said.

These ads are hammering John Kasich. Are they fair?

Not a target

Kasich's rise to second in New Hampshire has attracted several negative ads. But candidates left Kasich alone during the debate, focusing on another candidate who took the stage in St. Anselm College riding a new wave of momentum.

Marco Rubio had been rising off his better-than-expected performance in Monday's Iowa caucus. So candidates hammered him. Christie's angle, that Rubio was using canned answers to cover up for his lack of experience, resulted in boos for Rubio, especially when he responded by repeating three more times a talking point he had used a few moments before.

And when other candidates had opportunities to hit Kasich -- on some of his moderate stances, for instance -- they refrained. A moderator teed up Christie, reading him a quote from a few weeks ago in which Kasich said Ohio's economic situation was better than that in New Jersey.

"He deserves credit for his record on jobs. He's done a very good job as governor of Ohio," Christie said of Kasich, before defending his own record.

Kasich is hoping for a top-tier finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. At the town hall meetings he's held -- more than any other candidate -- he's given voters a chance to ask him questions and take a look at him up close. The campaign events, a strong network of grassroots advocates and commercials run since July by his political action committee could give him an edge over other candidates Tuesday.

But do the lack of attacks Saturday show candidates aren't worried about him?

“We’ve had an issue with relevance, and I think in New Hampshire we have made ourselves relevant,” said Tom Rath, a New Hampshire politico who is advising Kasich. Even though other candidates didn’t feel the need to attack Kasich, “we are suddenly very material to the conversation,” he said. “We have traction now.”

Donald Trump answers questions from the media in the spin room, after the Republican Presidential Debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016.

Trump continues to lead New Hampshire polls, but his slide into second place in Iowa has raised questions about the durability of his support. New Hampshire voters who are considering Trump often say they're also considering candidates ranging from Kasich to Cruz.

Many New Hampshire voters planned to tune in to Saturday's debate and have lined up last-minute trips to see candidates in person before they make their final decision. Indeed, half of all voters in the last two elections hadn't made up their minds by the Sunday before the primary, according to Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

"Those that are choosing in the last week are going to break for Kasich," said former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, who is one of Kasich's national chairpeople.

The Ohio governor's debate showing may help him get a second look, but others candidates shined Saturday as well. Political commentators listed him among the stronger performers of the night, along with Christie and Bush. Rubio turned in a consensus weak performance.

Senator Lindsey Graham talks with media in the spin room, after the Republican Presidential Debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016. Graham, of South Carolina, last month canceled his own GOP presidential bid and endorsed Bush. "A positive message is important, but you've got to show experience and resolve," he told reporters after the debate. "Jeb Bush is the most prepared to be commander in chief on Day One, not John Kasich."

Of Kasich's approach, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said: "We don't elect Debbie Downers."

Graham, of South Carolina, last month canceled his own GOP presidential bid and endorsed Bush.

"A positive message is important, but you've got to show experience and resolve," he told reporters after the debate. "Jeb Bush is the most prepared to be commander in chief on Day One, not John Kasich."

Watch John Kasich dance and hear his campaign's playlist

Having fun

Perhaps Kasich's strongest moment came two-thirds of the way through the debate. He ​turned a question that played to his talking points -- are there too many deals in Washington, or too few? -- into a chance to outline his oft-stated vision for more cooperation among Republicans and Democrats.

Ohio Governor John Kasich answers questions from the media in the spin room, after the Republican Presidential Debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016.

Then, Bush jumped in to talk about states controlling more taxpayer money and decisions.

Kasich seized the moment and claimed the floor once more, interrupting without the obnoxious quality that plagued him in the fall. He rattled off a plan for his first 100 days in office, if he becomes president: freeze federal regulations, cut corporate taxes, cut the estate tax, outline a plan to balance the budget, secure the border with Mexico and outline a plan to pay for Social Security.

Bush, riffing with Kasich by then, jumped back in. Then, Kasich dissolved into laughter, thinking he should get another turn. Perhaps Bush had mentioned his name.

The debate essentially stopped for a moment. Kasich was soaring after finding a way to deliver what he thought was his most important point. (I said my entire 100-day plan in 25 seconds, he kept telling reporters after the debate.) And he couldn't stop laughing.

Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich points toward Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by ABC News at the St. Anselm College  Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, in Manchester, N.H.

"Jeb mentioned me! Time for me to go again," Kasich guffawed. "I thought I heard it, Jeb. No, I'm just kidding. Thank you all very much for listening and being patient with all of us tonight."

Kasich, on live television, was having fun. Tuesday's primary will show whether New Hampshire voters noticed and bought in.

"Please give me a chance to carry this message forward to the United States of America," Kasich said to close. "Thank you, loved it, and God bless you."

Visual journalist Meg Vogel contributed reporting.