John Kasich explains emotional campaign trail moments with supporters
One of the most prominent themes in John Kasich's presidential campaign is the compassion he preaches, the importance of lifting up Americans who are struggling with economic or personal problems. And perhaps as a result of this, he regularly encounters emotional supporters on the campaign trail.
"People come and tell me remarkable stories," Kasich told CBS News' Major Garrett in an interview Thursday. And when that happens, the GOP candidate welcomes it.
"I've got to be a candidate," Kasich said. "I've got to connect with people. And you know, frankly, it's not even connecting. I just want to be kind to people."
Kasich recounted one story about a woman who approached him with her "therapy dog," at a campaign event in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina Thursday.
"What kind of therapy?" Kasich asked.
She leaned in and whispered to him, and he opened his arms and pulled her in for a long hug, and he whispered back.
"She said, 'Well, I'm fighting alcoholism,'" he told Garrett. "I immediately am looking at her and say you gotta ask the Lord to help you."
"Did you go to 12-step?," he recalled asking her. "'I did.' She said 'I'm gonna start a business.' I said you need to tell the people who are working with you that you have a challenge and ask them to help you save your life."
The candidate pointed to these encounters as the real driver of his presidential ambitions.
"That's what I need to be doing," Kasich added. "I don't need to be worried about how much money came in yesterday. That to me is -- if it doesn't come in, it doesn't come in. But if I can help people to feel better about their situation, I guess that's part of my mission."
South Carolina polls show him lagging most of the remaining field, and Kasich's candidacy probably depends on Super Tuesday states in the West and Midwest, and beyond that, the midwestern states that vote closer to mid-March. Still, he's been campaigning in South Carolina, and he strikes a chord with certain voters.
On Thursday night, Brett Smith, a University of Georgia student, stood up to ask the final question at a Clemson, South Carolina town hall.
"Over a year ago, a man who was like my second dad, he killed himself," Smith said. "And then a few months later, my parents got a divorce, and then a few months later, my dad lost his job. And I was in a really dark place for a long time. I was pretty depressed."
"But I found hope," he said, close to tears. "And I found it in the Lord, and in my friends, and now I've found it in my presidential candidate that I support. And I'd really appreciate one of those hugs you've been talking about."
Kasich walked down from the stage, gave Smith his signature tight hug, and whispered in his ear.
"The Lord will give you strength," Kasich told him.