CHICAGO – Despite no foreseeable path to obtain the 1237 delegates needed to win the Republican presidential nomination, Ohio Governor John Kasich shows no indication of backing off his goal.
Friday, Kasich for America announced two new additions from Illinois to his presidential nominee effort – Chicago area's Dennis Cook and Rick Veenstra. Cook and Veenstra serve together with seven others who also joined the Kasich effort on the executive board of the Young Republican National Federation.
"I'm proud to be part of an organization that has supported outstanding Republican candidates at the grassroots level for over eighty years. This year, there is no doubt in my mind that Ohio Gov. John Kasich is the right candidate to lead our party to victory in November," Cook said in a statement.
"He has an unbeatable record of bringing people together to produce results — from balancing the federal budget to cutting taxes and spurring job creation in Ohio. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the rest of the Kasich team to share John Kasich's positive, conservative message with young voters. Experience matters to young voters and John Kasich is the only candidate who can both win and lead on Day One."
The only way Kasich can reach the nomination is for the campaign to make it to a contested convention in Cleveland this summer. Donald Trump currently holds the highest number of delegates, and is winning in polls on many of the remaining states.
Kasich was delighted with the new energy adding on to his effort.
"It's wonderful to receive the support of these young people. They're the future of the Republican Party and the future of America. I always bring a debt clock to my campaign events in order to remind people of the unsustainable burden we're putting on our children and grandchildren if we don't get our fiscal house in order," Kasich said.
"For their sake, we have to balance the budget and help bring quality jobs back to struggling communities. I'm honored that these national young leaders have placed their faith in me to lead the charge."