Kasich: Trump would be nominee if I had dropped out

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said in an interview broadcast early Sunday that calls for him to drop out of the Republican presidential race are “absurd.”

{mosads}“Chuck, I’m beating Hillary by 11 points,” Kasich told host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I’m the only one that can win in the fall. And as you noticed, the narrative over the last week has been, ‘What is wrong with the party? Kasich’s the guy that can win the general.’ Some people have said Kasich would be the best president,” Kasich said.

Rival Ted Cruz’s campaign has repeated called for Kasich to drop out, saying a vote for Kasich is a vote for Donald Trump.

“I mean, get out for what?” Kasich asked on Sunday. “If I’d have gotten out, Trump would be the nominee. He would have won Ohio. And frankly, we’ll win some districts in Wisconsin. We will move to Pennsylvania, where I’m basically in a statistical tie with Trump. And when we go to New York and everywhere else, we’re going to pick up delegates.”

“I mean, it’s absurd. It’s absurd,” he added. “You know, if you really want, let them consolidate behind me, because frankly, I’m the one that can win in the fall. And I’m the one that can get the crossover votes.”