Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate, held a town hall at Castaway in Northwest Portland on April 28, 2016.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
John Kasich said Thursday that Oregon might be the right state to make a breakthrough in his underdog campaign for president, but polling suggests he faces strong headwinds here.
The Ohio governor held a town hall near the Pearl District in Northwest Portland for about 300 supporters before traveling to Medford for a similar event. In Portland, Kasich told reporters Oregon is a good fit because Republicans here aren’t as conservative as in some states.
They are, he said, more "center right," which Kasich has been seeking as his niche in the GOP presidential race.
In his Portland appearance, Kasich presented himself as a more practical leader than rivals Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. He said he’d work with Democrats and Republicans to balance the budget, improve education and reduce unnecessary regulation.
Despite running a distant third in delegate count for the GOP nomination, Kasich attracted a large crowd to the Portland town hall. Oregon is a state in which he hopes to perform well.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
Kasich said he had a track record of working well with Democrats in Congress.
"I didn't agree with them on a lot of things, but they were my pals, so what the heck," Kasich said.
He said both parties share the blame for failing to tackle the nation’s problems. Kasich described how he helped balance the budget when he was House budget chairman in the 1990s. When he left Congress in 2001, there was a a projected surplus of $5 trillion over the next decade.
“The Republicans controlled the House, the Senate and the White House. And they blew all $5 trillion dollars," said Kasich, adding that Democrats also cheered on the spending.
Kasich also spoke favorably of international trade agreements. He told reporters that he didn't know the details of the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership — a massive 12-country Pacific Rim trade deal — but he said he was inclined to support it.
Trump and Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have all spoke out against the pact, although Clinton had promoted the trade negotiations when she was secretary of state.
Kasich also said he opposed legalizing marijuana, but he said he wouldn't attempt to stop states that have legalized the drug. He referred specifically to Colorado, but it wasn't clear if he knew that Oregon had also legalized marijuana.
Kasich, as he usually does, discussed his record as Ohio governor and congressman, hoping to boost his name recognition and credibility with voters.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
Kasich acknowledged that many voters don't know him in Oregon, something he hopes to reverse before the May 17 primary. Former state Sen. Bruce Starr, a local supporter, said Kasich will be back to campaign here in two weeks and is running advertising in the state.
A new poll released Thursday shows Kasich running third. Trump leads and Cruz is second.
Pollster Tim Nashif said that Oregon Republicans are actually largely conservative. Only registered Republicans can vote in the state's GOP primary, and their share of the electorate has dipped to around 30 percent.
Cruz has agreed not to campaign in Oregon and New Mexico as part of a deal with Kasich. In exchange, Kasich is not campaigning in Indiana. The two are trying to keep Trump from gaining a majority of the delegates in hopes one of them can emerge victorious in a multi-ballot battle at the convention.
Kasich has been downplaying the deal with Cruz, saying he's running a low-budget campaign and has to limit where he travels.
Unlike the other candidates, Kasich is flying commercial, forcing him to keep to a strict schedule on Thursday as he flew from Portland to Medford for an evening event there.