Kasich: I won’t act like ‘a marshmallow’

Fresh off his strong second-place finish in the Republican New Hampshire primary, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said that he won’t sit back like a “marshmallow,” vowing to hit back against attacks.

“Well I’m not going to sit there and be a marshmallow or some kind of a pin cushion [where] people just pound me,” Kasich told CNN for an interview that aired Wednesday afternoon.

{mosads}He offered similar remarks earlier in the day on NBC’s “Today” show and CBS This Morning,” where he also argued that voters are tired of negativity in campaigning.

The Ohio governor has repeatedly invoked the “marshmallow” image during the campaign, including back in August when he touted his moderate views on issues like immigration.

He is now a major target for several establishment rivals after snatching the runner-up title behind Donald Trump in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

Kasich has pushed back against rivals including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for what he has called negative attack ads, while Trump has accused Kasich of hypocrisy on the issue.

“You know, he talked about he’s not going negative, but he did a negative commercial on me, so I didn’t like that,” Trump said Wednesday after winning the primary.