Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, left, and Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., look to the crowd at a break during the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)[/caption]
We reported earlier in the week on how John Kasich’s epic incompetence resulted in him not getting enough real signatures of actual humans to qualify for the Pennsylvania ballot. A Rubio supporter filed a lawsuit. Last Thursday, Kasich’s campaign stipulated in court that it didn’t have enough signatures but tried to convince the judge that he should consider the end of the day as 5pm rather than midnight and, therefore, the lawsuit was filed too late.

Sensing that was not a great legal strategy, what with the length of the day being established, Kasich has fallen back on Plan B: begging:

John Kasich’s presidential campaign called on Marco Rubio to tell his supporters in Pennsylvania to drop a lawsuit that could keep the Ohio governor off the ballot for the state’s April 26 primary.

Nathaniel Rome, chairman of Pennsylvania Students for Rubio, filed a petition in Pennsylvania court to keep Kasich off the ballot, since he failed to garner the requisite number of signatures to be added. Rome’s lawyer is John Bravacos, the brother of Chris Bravacos, who is chairman of Rubio’s Pennsylvania campaign.

“Senator Rubio should tell his people to drop this suit and to have his super-PAC quit attacking John Kasich in Florida,” Kasich campaign spokesman Rob Nichols told Bloomberg Politics.

Mind you, this comes only a couple of days after Kasich told Rubio to FOAD when offered help in Ohio

Kasich spox Rob Nichols on Rubio news: "We were going to win in OH without his help, just as he's going to lose in FL w/o ours"

— Kathleen Ronayne (@kronayne) March 11, 2016

Or, more succinctly:

Kasich to Rubio: "screw off. And also can you help me out?"https://t.co/vAnCI20x6t https://t.co/p4gBmA7SM9

— Brian Faughnan (@BrianFaughnan) March 13, 2016

If Rubio cares about the GOP he should not pressure his supporters to drop their lawsuit. Rubio is going to be out of the race this coming week, either de facto or in all but name. Kasich’s only value to the GOP this cycle is a) winning Ohio on Tuesday and b) carrying Ohio for the GOP nominee in November. Blocking him from Pennsylvania will hasten his withdrawal and make this a two man race very quickly. And that is what we need.