Ohio Gov. John Kasich's performance in the Republican debate Thursday will help him win his state's primary on Tuesday, presidential historian Craig Shirley told Newsmax TV.
"I thought he had a number of high points," Shirley, who is former President Ronald Reagan's biographer, told host J.D. Hayworth on the "Newsmax TV Debate Special" in an interview.
"He played the Reagan card — that he was there with Ronald Reagan," he said. "He scored a good hit above the others, because he was there in the 1980s.
"He was there working with Reagan to balance the budget and build up the defenses," Shirley said.
Even though Fox News co-moderator Chris Wallace tried to bait Kasich with a question that would have attacked his rivals, "he said 'I'm not biting,'" the historian noted. "That was also a significant time."
Kasich also rose above the bickering between fellow contenders Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz — and he "might have picked up a little more momentum by distinguishing himself by not getting involved in the fight," Shirley told Hayworth.
"Kasich availed himself very well," he added. "There's been a lot of positive commentary about his John Kasich's performance."
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