Emotional Kasich thanks supporters as he bows out

by Harper Neidig - 05/04/16 5:37 PM ET

John Kasich, drop out, quit, presidential campaign, 2016, GOP — Getty Images

John Kasich on Wednesday thanked his supporters in an emotional speech as he officially announced the end of his presidential campaign.

“While I suspend my campaign, I have renewed faith, deeper faith, that the Lord will show me the way forward and fulfill the purpose of my life,” he said.

{mosads}The Ohio governor thanked his supporters and campaign workers, and spoke about the people he met who have been struggling with issues that he tried to address throughout his presidential bid.

“The people of our country changed me,” he said. “They changed me with the stories of their lives.”

Kasich described some of the emotional encounters he’s had with supporters during his campaign stops. He spoke about the town hall at Clemson University where a student asked him for a hug after he described some of his personal hardships. He also noted a man he had met whose son had been diagnosed with cancer, and a woman who showed him a picture of her son who had committed suicide.

“You know I’ve learned something, folks,” Kasich said, “that we all need to slow down our lives. Slow down our lives and listen to those around us.”

The Ohio governor detailed what the country’s leaders need to do to lessen the hardships that citizens are facing.

“Look, let me be clear, we all know that economic growth is imperative to the success of our country,” he said. “Economic growth gives people an opportunity to realize many of their hopes and dreams in life. And without a job, the family is weaker, the community is weaker, the neighborhood’s weaker, the state suffers and our country struggles.

“And I can tell you that economic growth can be achieved by our public officials if they just do their job. But they have to ignore polls, they can’t focus on focus groups and they have to overcome the fear of reelection or criticism.”

—Updated at 5:48 p.m.

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