HOUSTON — Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich did not endorse anyone before his state’s big Super Tuesday primary, but now that it’s over, he’s being generous with his praise for runner-up Rick Santorum.
“You got to give a lot of credit to Santorum,” Kasich told reporters on Tuesday during an energy conference here, a few hours after his state gave Mitt Romney a razor-thin victory. “He is winning a bunch of these states. He has no money, or relatively small amounts of money. And he’s tapping into something, or else Romney is not delivering enough.”
Kasich, who served in the House with Santorum and Newt Gingrich in the 1990s, said he talked to Santorum the day before the primary and has talked to Romney several times. He said he has not recently spoken with Gingrich, who was speaker of the House during part of Kasich’s service.
“I talked to Newt every day for eight years, so that’s probably enough,” Kasich joked, drawing laughter from reporters. “I’m making a joke. I love Newt.”
Ohio was the top prize on Super Tuesday and will be a presidential battleground this fall. Kasich said he was not surprised that Santorum was leading in polls of the race but ultimately lost to Romney. “Romney spent a lot of money,” Kaisch said. He also noted Romney won in urban districts with typically more voters.
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