Kasich: I can’t support the GOP if it doesn’t reform

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Sunday said if the GOP does not fix itself, he won’t be able to continue supporting his own party.

“If the party can’t be fixed, Jake, then I’m not going to be able to support the party. Period. That’s the end of it,” Kasich told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“I mean, I’m worried about our country and my kids’ future. But have I given up? Of course not,” he continued.

{mosads}Kasich shut down the suggestion that he is planning to become an independent but emphasized the need for the GOP to reform.

“No, not at this — what I’m saying to you is we need to fix it,” he said when asked about becoming an Independent.

“If the Republican Party is going to be anti-immigration, if it’s not going to be worried about debt, if it’s going to be anti-trade, this is not where our party can be.”

Kasich’s comments came during a discussion of the recent Alabama Senate GOP primary runoff, where last week conservative former judge Roy Moore defeated Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) in a race that gave a victory to the anti-establishment wing of the party.

Moore in his career has made numerous controversial remarks, including in 2005 that homosexuality should be illegal, according to footage unearthed by CNN.

Kasich laughed when Tapper asked if Moore, following the win in Alabama, is the future of the GOP. 

“I certainly hope not,” Kasich replied.