Kasich: Pataki Endorsement 'Consequential' and Will Drive Momentum

Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Sunday touted his recent endorsement from the GOP presidential nomination from ex-New York Gov. George Pataki, calling the prominent Republican a "class act" and a "great leader."

"[He's] going to campaign with me all the way through the election, and then campaign with me around the country," Kasich told radio show host John Catsimatidis on his Sunday radio show, "The Cats Roundtable,"  airing on AM 970 in New York.

Pataki, who himself was part of the large initial group of candidates seeking the GOP nod, endorsed Kasich on Tuesday,  saying that he thought about the endorsement "long and hard," and he fears front-runner Donald Trump, a New York native, will "drive the Republican Party off a cliff."

Further, he believes that Kasich, with his background as a governor and a one-time U.S. representative, has the experience that's needed to govern the nation.

Kasich on Sunday called Pataki's endorsement a "very consequential thing."

"He's up there in the pantheon of the great leaders of the state of New York," the Ohio governor told Catsimatidis. "I feel very good about it, and I don't have any doubts it's going to give us a little bit of momentum."

Kasich said he believes in Tuesday's New York primary his campaign will gain delegates and get some momentum. Further, he said he wants New Yorkers to know about his background and success with job growth in Ohio, while also knowing that "economic growth is not an end to itself" and that he could "bring people together and stop fighting each other in Washington."

"We're Americans before we're Republicans or Democrats in the things that we need to do," Kasich told Catsimatidis.

Overall, Kasich is polling in second place in the New York primaries, according to Real Clear Politics, at 23 percent. Trump is at 52 percent, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is in third place, with an overall average of 18 percent.

But on Sunday, Kasich pointed out that of the three remaining candidates in the race, he is the only one who consistently defeats Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton "in virtually every poll ... in New York, I only trail Hillary by five points."

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