Kasich to SE Pa. Thursday in primary sprint

Ohio Gov. John Kasich plans a whirlwind day of campaigning in southeast Pennsylvania Thursday as the Republican presidential madness rounds the turn from New York, which votes tomorrow, to the April 26 Acela primary.

Kasich is scheduled to hold a 2:30 p.m. town hall meeting in Media, Delaware County. It will be in the Commons building at the Penn State University Brandywine Campus, 25 Yearsley Mill Road.

Later, Kasich will have a meet-and-greet with regional candidates for delegate to the national convention. A majority of the state's 71 delegates are to be elected by congressional district.

The candidate also will be the speaker at the Republican Committee of Chester County's spring reception at the Valley Forge Casino. A VIP reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with a general reception that runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $250 per person, $100 per GOP county committee person.

All of this follows a morning meeting at which Kasich will answer questions from the editorial boards of the Inquirer and Daily News.

The southeastern region of the state is crucial for Kasich, a relative moderate, in the primary.

"I'm very happy to welcome Gov. Kasich to Philadelphia," said Republican National Committeeman Bob Asher, who is supporting the Ohioan. "He has excellent credentials to be president, and it is my opinion that Gov. Kasich offers the best chance of defeating Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania – that's our main goal, and we ought to be focuses on that instead of personalities."