Kasich's Second-Place Finish Is The Best He Could Have Hoped For

John Kasich just came in second in New Hampshire, which is pretty big for the Ohio governor.

In an average of polls out of New Hampshire, RealClearPolitics had Kasich in third going into the primary, with Marco Rubio in second. But those orders were completely rearranged Tuesday. (Video via Fox News) 

Kasich's organization in New Hampshire was strong. He had the second-most voter contacts among the GOP after Jeb Bush, according to Monmouth University polling, which says that can be a good indicator of a campaign's ground game. (Video via Kasich for America) 

And at the GOP debate Saturday, Kasich didn't take many hits. 

"In America, conservatism should mean not only that some rise with conservative principles, but everybody has a chance to rise regardless of who they are so they can live their God-given purpose. That's what conservatism should be," Kasich said.

But in the next few primaries, Kasich's poll numbers are very low, at least for now. If anything, his strong showing might have just further muddled the race for the so-called establishment candidates.

This video includes images from Getty Images.