John Kasich says he'll leave the Republican party if it doesn't fix itself
"If the party can't be fixed, Jake, then I'm not going to be able to support the party," Kasich told CNN's Jake Tapper. "Period. That's the end of it."
The governor hedged significantly: He denied the potential of becoming an independent, but said he wanted to "straighten out" the GOP on issues like trade, debt, and immigration, where Kasich is to the left of President Donald Trump.
A Republican who has been highly critical of the Trump administration, Kasich has in recent months embarked on a series of bipartisan projects.
Kasich opposed multiple Republican healthcare plans, forming working groups with Democratic and Republican governors to propose fixes for parts of the Affordable Care Act.
But his bipartisan overtures have occasionally stoked speculation about the governor's own political future.
Earlier this year, reports emerged that Kasich was considering a 2020 presidential bid with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat with whom Kasich has worked closely in recent months. Both denied the accuracy of the reports, though the Ohio governor has not ruled out that he could challenge Trump in the 2020 Republican primary.