--- title: John Kasich Won't Run as a Third-Party Candidate description: John Kasich said Monday he has no plans to run as a third-party candidate, putting an end to speculation that he would re-enter the race canonical: https://time.com/4338009/john-kasich-third-party-republican/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-16T22:27:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:46:09.654Z article:section: Politics og:title: John Kasich Says He Won't Run As a Third-Party Candidate og:description: Running as an independent would be "silly," he said og:url: https://time.com/4338009/john-kasich-third-party-republican/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb418d65ea69cbb73/698893668e0601e297465e69/gettyimages-528271098.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3200 og:image:height: 1800 og:image:alt: John Kasich Announces End Of His Presidential Campaign og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John Kasich Says He Won't Run As a Third-Party Candidate twitter:description: Running as an independent would be "silly," he said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb418d65ea69cbb73/698893668e0601e297465e69/gettyimages-528271098.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # John Kasich Says He Won't Run As a Third-Party Candidate > Sponsored content. 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It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=73a2c4cf-6fc3-492f-bb21-f7c0ee3792b1&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent May 16, 2016 10:27 PM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks to the media announcing he is suspending his campaign May 4, 2016 in Columbus, Ohio. (J.D. Pooley--Getty Images) Republican presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks to the media announcing he is suspending his campaign May 4, 2016 in Columbus, Ohio. (J.D. Pooley--Getty Images) J.D. Pooley—Getty Images  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent May 16, 2016 10:27 PM UTC John Kasich said [Monday he has no plans](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/16/politics/john-kasich-third-party-interview-anderson-cooper/index.html) to run as a third-party candidate, putting an end to speculation that the former Republican candidate would re-enter the race. In his first interview since dropping out of the race [May 4](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/politics/john-kasich-drops-out/), Kasich told [CNN’s Anderson Cooper](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/16/politics/john-kasich-third-party-interview-anderson-cooper/index.html) that he has no interest in running again for the presidency. “I’m not gonna do that,” the Ohio governor said. “I gave it my best where I am. I just think running third-party doesn’t feel right. I think it’s not constructive.” The governor acknowledged that he had been asked to mount a third-party run after Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee, but declined. “A third-party candidacy would be viewed as kind of a silly thing,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s appropriate. 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