Kasich nabs major NH endorsement

Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s 2016 GOP presidential campaign is touting the endorsement of a top Republican in New Hampshire.

{mosads}Former New Hampshire Attorney General Tom Rath announced on Wednesday that he is backing Kasich’s bid.

“Our country needs Governor Kasich,” Rath said in a statement.

“He has a proven track record of balancing the federal budget, reforming our military and turning around one of our nation’s largest states,” Rath said.

“Beyond his accomplishments, Governor Kasich governs in a way that includes everyone,” he added. “He is sending our country the message that everyone deserves a chance, everyone deserves a voice and he will give it to them. That’s a powerful message in New Hampshire and the right one for our nation.”

Rath also said he is now serving as Kasich’s senior national adviser and as co-chairman of his Granite State campaign.

“We’re thrilled to have Tom join our team,” said former Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.), Kasich’s New Hampshire campaign chairman. “His expertise nationally and in New Hampshire will help our campaign build on the momentum we’ve established in New Hampshire and after the first debate.”

Rath brings Kasich’s campaign valuable experience, having served as a national adviser on presidential campaigns for Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, Bob Dole, Lamar Alexander and Howard Baker.

Rath served as the Granite State’s Republican National Committee chairman from 1996 to 2000 and again from 2002 to 2007.

He also chaired the campaigns of Republican New Hampshire Sens. Warren Rudman and Judd Gregg.

The endorsement gives Kasich’s White House run added momentum following last week’s first televised GOP presidential debate on Fox News.

The Ohio governor has repeatedly said he is making New Hampshire, an early-voting state, an essential part of his strategy for victory in 2016.

A RealClearPolitics average of five national polls finds Kasich netting 3 percent support among potential voters. Those results rank him 10th among the GOP’s crowded presidential field, according to the sampling concluded Monday.