Day before New York primary, Kasich gets backing of a Roosevelt

Cooper Allen, USA TODAY
8:53 p.m. EDT April 18, 2016


Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks during a campaign event in Utica, N.Y., on April 15, 2016. (Photo: Hans Pennink, AP)


It may not be quite enough to erase a 30-point deficit in the state, but Ohio Gov. John Kasich picked up the support Monday from someone bearing one of the most iconic names in New York political history.

Theodore Roosevelt IV, a great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, endorsed Kasich a day before New York's primary.

"I have known Governor Kasich for years. In my opinion he is by far the best-qualified Republican candidate and the only one who could win the general election," Roosevelt, a prominent GOP conservationist and a retired Navy officer, said in a statement.

Roosevelt's great-grandfather, also a Republican, was elected governor of New York in 1898 and vice president of the United States in 1900. He became president in September 1901 following President William McKinley's assassination.

Politico reports Kasich visited the Teddy Roosevelt home in Oyster Bay, N.Y., earlier this month.

Polls show GOP front-runner Donald Trump with an overwhelming lead in New York that exceeds 30 points in some polls.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...mary/83197428/