GOP presidential candidate John Kasich pushes his message in Concord

Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) performed better than expected in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday.

It’s unclear, however, whether the New Hampshire success will mean much for Kasich in the long term.

A super PAC supporting Bush’s candidacy, Right to Rise, has frequently attacked Kasich and other candidates over the course of the campaign.

Kasich said his campaign’s strategy is to remain positive in its message, despite observers’ claims that you can’t win without running negative ads.

As The Times pointed out: “Though a number of past presidential nominees have gained momentum from a strong showing in New Hampshire – among them, Ronald Reagan in 1980, George Bush in 1988, McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 – all had a national organisation far superior to those of Kasich and Christie”.

“It’s a factor that’s gotten bigger every cycle, and it shows no signs of slowing down”, said Steve Koczela, who’s surveyed New Hampshire independents as president of MassINC Polling Group and found Kasich and Sanders buoyed by the most favorable perceptions among these voters in a mid-January WBUR poll. The top questions asked about the OH governor, who is the perceived moderate candidate in the GOP primary race, include “Is Kasich pro-life?” “The fewer undeclareds are voting, that would help Clinton”, he said.

Bill Gardner predicted several days ago that roughly 282,000 Republican ballots cast would be and 268,000 Democratic ballots cast. No candidate has won a party primary without a plurality of them, said Andy Smith, the director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. “And it’s a little disappointing, because, you know, you would like to think people could get elected by saying what they’re for, rather than trying to trash somebody else”. That provides him both with a platform to champion legislation in real time that could brandish his conservative bona fides among Republican voters, and it also gives him a potential way to raise money among corporations looking to do business in his state. “But I’ve decided not to do it”, he said.

-With assistance from Mark Niquette in Manchester, New Hampshire.