Kasich tells Conway: ‘I can win’

John Kasich insists his presidential campaign still has a chance.

“I can win,” Kasich told a crowd of more than 200 gathered inside Horry Georgetown Technical College’s cafeteria Friday afternoon.

Despite trailing in national polls, the Ohio governor pushed his message of sunny conservatism in Conway a day before South Carolina’s GOP Primary.

Kasich recalled a campaign event in New Hampshire where just six people showed up. He eventually finished second the Granite State’s Republican Primary.

“It never bothered me,” he said of his early struggles with name recognition. “I made the best I could out of it.”

During Friday’s town hall meeting, Kasich fielded questions and shared his prescription for what’s ailing the country.

If elected, Kasich said he’d suggest that no new federal regulations, other than those tied to health and safety, be implemented for one year. During that time, his vice president would study the regs on the books to see which ones were needed and which ones were hindering economic growth.

“We’re trying to regulate everything that happens in our lives,” he said. “And the federal bureaucrats … many of them think they’re doing the right things, have written so many rules and so many regulations that it’s hamstringing our businesses’ ability to do well.”

Kasich added that he would ask Congress to approve any new regulations.

“You can’t have the bureaucrats making the laws in this country,” he said. “You’ve got to have the people who got elected to make the laws make the laws.”

Along with reducing regulations, Kasich stressed that the tax code must be simplified. He called “flat tax” promises unrealistic, but said he would advocate for a lower capital gains tax “so that those who invest and risk take have an incentive to do it.”

He also touted his record in Ohio, saying the state had seen job growth and better financial management under his leadership.

“We’re doing really well and we’re not leaving anybody behind,” he said. “The mentally ill, the drug addicted, the working poor, they’re all getting some of the resources they need to get on their feet so they can recover, so they can live their lives.”

The governor’s words resonated with Ohio native Erin Kissinger, who moved to Myrtle Beach 10 years ago.

“He’s been a wonderful governor for my family,” she said. “They love him. He’s done wonderful things for the state.”

Despite her appreciation of Kasich’s work in the Buckeye State, Kissinger said she still had not decided if she would vote for him on Saturday.

“I am not 100 percent sure,” she said. “That’s why I’m here.”

Barbara Kriener of Myrtle Beach also said she’s undecided about which candidate — and even which party — will get her vote.

Although she’s a Democrat, Kriener is not a fan of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and isn’t sure about the viability of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ candidacy. Of the Republicans in the field, she likes Kasich best.

“I think he’s such a good man,” she said. “I truly do.”

Kriener left the event with a Kasich yard sign.

One person who is sold on the Ohio governor is Myrtle Beach City Councilman Randal Wallace, who introduced Kasich Friday and called him “the best candidate to run for president in many, many years.”

Despite his position in the polls and his struggles to raise campaign cash, Kasich pointed to his strong showing in New Hampshire as evidence that he’s not done yet.

“You didn’t know who I was until about a week ago probably,” he said. “You thought my name was governor of Ohio. And you know what? It could happen. I don’t know that it will happen, but it could.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Kasich tells Conway: ‘I can win’."