Despite his vast experience in politics and his strong performance in the latest Republican debate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is still struggling to gain ground across the nation.

While Kasich spoke for almost 10 minutes — the third most of all candidates — at the Oct. 28 debate, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll has him polling at 3 percent nationally and in Iowa.

Mack Shelley, professor of political science, said that overall Kasich “comes off pretty well” and that he is “fairly polished” but a bit blunt at times.

As governor of Ohio, Kasich balanced the state budget; Shelley believes Kasich is a “budget specialist,” which is something that helps him stick out from the GOP crowd.

While Kasich gained support in Ohio through his budgeting, he did face some backlash when he tried to implement what Shelley calls a “Scott Walker-esque” piece of “right-to-work” legislation.

Right-to-work legislation allows workers to chose if they join a union.

After Kasich and Republicans in the state tried to pass the right-to-work bill and failed, Kasich’s approval rating sunk to about 20 percent, Shelley said.

Khayree Fitten, junior in political science, said he was immediately drawn to Kasich after hearing him speak in July because he “has the experience.”

Fitten added that he feels Kasich is a strong candidate because he is “not polarizing” and is willing to work with others as he recognizes major issues cannot be solved without the help of both Democrats and Republicans.

Kasich served on the Armed Services Committee while he was a member of the House of Representatives, which gives him more of an edge on some of the other GOP candidates, Fitten said. 

He also noted that Kasich’s experience as governor of Ohio makes him “much more prepared” to take on the role of commander in chief.

Another strength of Kasich’s campaign is his home state of Ohio, Shelley said.

Ohio has a reputation for being a swing state, Shelley said. Although a lot of national attention is put on Iowa around election time, Ohio has more electoral votes, which makes it a “crucial” state; no Republican has been elected president in decades without winning Ohio.

While caucus season is still two months away, Shelley doesn’t feel that Kasich has the “upward trajectory” in the polls to secure the Republican nomination. However, he does believe Kasich could end up as a vice president contender because he could bring in Ohio’s electoral votes.

Fitten believes Kasich is a serious contender in the election because of his experience in politics. When Kasich speaks during the debates, Fitten said he feels that he has good points and that the more people hear him speak, the more likable he is.

While he may not be soaring in polls, Kasich is making his way up to the middle of the GOP pack and has slightly improved in the past few months through the debates, the latest NBC/WSJ poll shows.

The next Republican debate is scheduled for Tuesday night in Wisconsin.