John Kasich Remains in Presidential Race After Asking 'Should I Keep Going?'

— -- It had all the makings of a dropping out speech -- minus the punchline.

Republican presidential candidate John Kasich revealed to voters in Oregon that he had been seriously thinking about whether or not to continue his campaign. He trails rivals Donald Trump and Ted Cruz by hundreds of delegates.

“I want to tell you that I got up yesterday and, well, I started thinking about my campaign, started thinking about my effort,” Kasich told a crowd of supporters at a Portland town hall today.

“I thought about should I keep going? Should I carry on? What is this all about? And I thought deeply about it,” Kasich admitted.

“I’ve decided to keep going. And there are going to be people who are going to criticize me for that, and it’s not always an easy road,” Kasich said. “I’m gonna do my very best.”

The sitting Ohio governor has won only his home state’s primary and is mathematically eliminated from securing the delegates needed for the Republican nomination.

Kasich dismissed calls from his GOP rivals to exit the race, saying: “I’m inclined to keep going.”