Kasich is continuing to evaluate whether he will run against Trump in 2020, his advisors said.
Rath described Kasich as “leaning straight up” when it comes to deciding whether he will run for president again.
“I think he feels that there is a need for somebody to say that the Republican Party has a core set up principles that are not reflected by this president. Somebody has to come up to say the emperor has no clothes,” Rath added.
While others close to the governor believe Kasich would struggle against Trump in a primary, he continues to give indications that he hasn’t let go of the idea of running against the commander-in-chief.
Kasich will be traveling in November to New Hampshire, a pivotal state for any candidate running for the White House. He will be the featured speaker at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications’ First Amendment program. The annual event, which has been held for 16 years, previously featured presidential hopefuls including Trump himself and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who ran against President Barack Obama in 2008.
During the 2016 presidential primaries, Kasich came in second to Trump in New Hampshire. He had attended the same event at that time.
In March, Kasich met with billionaire investor and philanthropist Ron Burkle in Los Angeles, who has a reputation for donating to candidates and causes across the political spectrum, sources previously told CNBC.
Kasich was asked at the time to host a speaking event at Burkle’s home. The billionaire co-founder of investment firm Yucaipa Companies did not attend the event, the sources said then.
Meanwhile, Kasich’s allies have been courting GOP mega-donors to gauge their interest in a 2020 run. Several have said they are willing to back him over Trump under certain circumstances, including whether Republicans can hold congressional majorities this fall.
Kasich’s super PAC, New Day for America, continues to be active. Second quarter filings show the operation raised $59,940, including a $25,000 contribution from former CBS President Harry Sloan. Currently, the PAC has $177,216 on hand and has raised over $500,000 in the 2018 election cycle.
The Trump campaign, meanwhile, had $33 million in cash on hand at the end of June, according to a filing.