KASICH UPDATE | Kasich tells crowd why he's best presidential candidate

COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. John Kasich discussed his accomplishments and how he is uniquely qualified to be the next president of the United States during a nearly 45-minute speech today at Ohio State University.

Kasich, a Republican, took about 15 minutes before declaring his intention to run for the job though it’s been known for months that he was going to seek his party’s nomination. With today’s announcement, he is the 16th Republican candidate to announce for the 2016 presidential election.

In speaking of past elections and accomplishments, Kasich said a number of times, “They said it couldn’t be done. We proved them wrong again.”

National polls have Kasich with only 1.5 percent support among Republicans.

The governor acknowledged that people say, “I don’t know if he can win,” but “together we’ll prove them wrong again.”

Kasich spoke about the challenges college students have finding employment after graduating and said that minorities “sometimes” wonder if the system works against him.

But Kasich also said, “American has become strong,” by “staying together with our eyes on the horizon.”

He also said, “The American Dream is pivotal tot he future of our country.”

Kasich said he has the “experience and the testing” to be president.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Cincinnati-area Republican who has declined to endorse in the presidential race, said after Kasich’s speech: “John will be a strong candidate because he has a terrific story to tell about what he has accomplished in Ohio over the past five years. He has valuable experience in both the public and private sectors that would serve him well as president. He has been a leader at the federal and state levels and knows how to solve problems.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, who backs Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, said: “After seeing firsthand how John Kasich has led Ohio over the last five years, it is unbelievable that he thinks he should be president of the United States. Throughout his career as a member of Congress, a Wall Street banker, and Ohio’s governor, John Kasich has proved many times that he will always put the desires of the wealthy and special interests before the needs of the middle class.”