John Kasich seeks to stay above the fray in the 2016 "circus"
As Donald Trump and Marco Rubio attempt to outdo the other one's insults, John Kasich is trying to stay above the fray and avoid personal attacks with any of his rivals.
"I'm sort of tired of what I see--the name-calling and what I consider to be childishness when we are running for president of the United States," Kasich said Monday on CNN's "New Day."
Kasich said Trump should have immediately condemned Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and the KKK when he was asked whether he would disavow Duke on political talks shows Sunday morning.
"I can't tell you what the heck happened. This is like every day. It's like a circus," said Kasich, who described the presidential race as "almost beyond fiction."
At a town hall Sunday in Springfield, Massachusetts, Kasich said he wakes up each day and "another crazy thing" is happening in the campaign.
"The divisions and the name calling...that turns people off," he said.
Trump and Rubio have been trading personal attacks, which appeared to escalate over the weekend. After Trump called the Florida senator "Little Marco," Rubio shot back and said that Trump has "small hands" and "the worst spray tan in America."
Kasich's comments come before a number of states hold their primaries or caucuses on Tuesday. The Ohio governor is banking on winning his home state, which holds its primary on March 15. He said he would drop out of the race if he doesn't win it.
"If these other people who are running can't win their own states, then I don't know how they go forward. Frankly they ought to get out. If I don't win Ohio I will get out. I won't even think about it," he said.