Kasich to electors: Don’t vote for me

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) is urging presidential electors not to cast a vote for him over President-elect Donald Trump, arguing that the effort will only deepen the divide in America.

“I am not a candidate for president and ask that electors not vote for me when they gather later this month,” Kasich said in a statement Tuesday. “Our country had an election and Donald Trump won.”

{mosads}Kasich was a vocal opponent of Trump during the GOP presidential race and wouldn’t endorse his former rival leading up to the election.

But in Tuesday’s statement, the Ohio governor noted that after a divisive and bruising election, Americans must unite and move forward.

“The country is divided and there are certainly raw emotions on both sides stemming from the election,” he said. “But this approach, as well meaning as it is, will only serve to further divide our nation, when unity is what we need.”

“The election is over. Now is the time for all of us to come together as Americans,” he said.

The members of the Electoral College are slated to meet Dec. 19 to cast their official votes for president.

Trump clinched 306 electoral votes on Nov. 8, but electors are trying a last-ditch effort to block Trump from getting the 270 electoral votes needed to enter the White House next month.

A group of electors in Colorado and Washington state is considering trying to convince Republican electors to switch their vote from Trump to Kasich.

The electors, who have dubbed themselves the “Hamilton Electors,” are publicly made up entirely of Democrats. The group argues that Kasich is a compromise for GOP electors willing to buck Trump and join their effort, according to Politico.