Ohio Gov. John Kasich returning to New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa for

When Kasich campaigned for governor in 2010, he championed the idea of JobsOhio as part of his economic plan.

In the immediate future, he might not even be able to participate in the Republican debates. CNN, which is hosting a second debate in September, will use a similar approach.

While Kasich starts at the bottom of most polls, averaging 1.5 percent in a compilation by RealClearPolitics, he sees potential for an opening in a field in which, he says, no candidate is dominant.

Kasich is expected to make his presidential run official Tuesday at a rally at Ohio State University.

In a three-year blaze of activity after his work as lead negotiator on the balanced budget, he wrote a best-selling book, declined re-election to Congress, made a brief run for president and landed a show on Fox News, “Heartland with John Kasich”. Whether intentional or not, there are benefits to being fashionably late to a presidential race.

– Rand Paul: A first-term senator like Rubio and Cruz, the 52-year-old Kentuckian represents the party’s libertarian wing, and is skeptical of military interventions overseas. “You get your moment, but it tends to be pretty ephemeral”.

“It’s becoming clear that Kasich’s number-one priority is serving his presidential ambitions, not working for the people of Ohio”. Kasich has written two subsequent books: “Stand for Something: The Battle for America’s Soul” in 2006 and “Every Other Monday: Twenty Years of Life, Lunch, Faith, and Friendship” in 2011, featuring discussions and anecdotes from his twice-a-month prayer group.

Columbus reacts to the news on Twitter.

Stories abound of his gruff persona, of a prickly meeting with local reporters in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary; of lashing out at a wealthy GOP donor who questioned his embrace of Obamacare; of threatening lobbyists in Columbus, the state capital, if they obstructed his efforts. But given all the other challenges he faces, this will create difficulties. They do have a few things in common.

Kasich already has the endorsement of one statewide candidate, Republican state Auditor Dave Yost. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson saw a 6-point bounce in his national polling after joining the race. Rick Santorum. The tax-exempt political organization provided a means for accepting contributions without formally announcing his candidacy.

The 2016 Republican National Convention where the party’s candidate will be nominated is scheduled for next July, also in Cleveland. He’s putting most of his chips on a solid showing in New Hampshire, where he’ll be running in the same mainstream conservative lane as Chris Christie and Bush -who has so far outraised Kasich by about a 10-to-1 margin. Kasich was raised Catholic but turned to a more fundamentalist brand of Christianity after his parents were killed by a drunk driver. Gingrich won the South Carolina primary but dropped out in the spring.

Being left out of the debates may not be a deathblow to a fledgling campaign. Then the afternoon is booked with spots airing with “General Hospital”, “The Chew” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”. “If I go to New Hampshire and get blown out, campaign’s over….”

Kasich will have the support of former Sen. John Sununu, something Kasich often points out. “We’re not putting the cart before the horse”, added Schrimpf. However, his affiliated “New Day” group announced a combined fundraising haul of $11.5 million during a somewhat-abbreviated period starting from May 1, enough for the Kasich team to land in the middle of the pack.

His backers say Kasich exhibits an unflinching, unbeholden style that voters, exhausted of the political same-old, will appreciate.

The fiscal health of the country has been a focus of the Ohio Republican for decades.