PoliticsRepublicansJohn Kasich2016

John Kasich All But Declares 2016 Presidential Run

Kasich All But Declares 2016 Presidential Run
Alana Horowitz
FILE-This Saturday, April 18, 2015 file photo shows Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, speaking at the Republican Leadership Summit in Nashua, N.H. The Ohio House was slated to vote Wednesday, APRIL 22, 2015 on the stateâs two-year, $71.5 billion budget after the GOP majority pulled many of the governorâs tax policies, added more money for schools and revised certain health-care-related initiatives. The proposal contains a smaller state income tax cut than what Gov. Kasich had pitched in his spending blueprint, which funds state operations for the two years beginning July 1. House passage on Wednesday would send the bill to the Senate. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)
FILE-This Saturday, April 18, 2015 file photo shows Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, speaking at the Republican Leadership Summit in Nashua, N.H. The Ohio House was slated to vote Wednesday, APRIL 22, 2015 on the stateâs two-year, $71.5 billion budget after the GOP majority pulled many of the governorâs tax policies, added more money for schools and revised certain health-care-related initiatives. The proposal contains a smaller state income tax cut than what Gov. Kasich had pitched in his spending blueprint, which funds state operations for the two years beginning July 1. House passage on Wednesday would send the bill to the Senate. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)

Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) all but announced Sunday that he is running for president.

Kasich, who has several times hinted at a 2016 bid, spoke openly with ABC News' "This Week" about his efforts.

"We're getting closer [to an official announcement]," he told host Jon Karl. "We have metrics set internally. I am very pleased with what we have seen over the course of the last month... within a period of time, I will make a decision and if we meet our metrics, I'm going to move forward. I have to tell you that I'm increasingly optimistic about all of this."

Kasich gave a strong push for his not-yet-campaign, contending "I'm pretty qualified for this kind of a job."

"I'm the most experienced in the field with being an executive, running a big state like Ohio, dealing with problems like Cleveland," he said. "At the same time being in Congress, [balancing] the budget. I was the chairman and also serving on the Defense Committee for 18 years."

Kasich has been visiting key campaign battlegrounds in recent weeks. This week, he'll head to several Republican events in Georgia and South Carolina.

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