Republican presidential candidate John Kasich has decided to take a different route than his fellow presidential hopefuls: skipping Iowa.

But Iowa State political experts say this is not a death sentence — he can survive without spending much time in the first-in-the-nation voting state.

Mack Shelley, a professor of political science at ISU, said that Kasich positions himself as a moderate Republican, which may go over well in New Hampshire, the second voting state. 

David Andersen, an assistant professor of political science, described Kasich as a “no-nonsense Republican candidate” who can be practical when it comes to working with Democrats.

These two traits — being a moderate and “no-nonsense” — may appeal to Republican voters outside of Iowa, who are typically very conservative.

Kasich has only spent a few days total in Iowa, compared to New Hampshire, where he has spent 23 days in the state, according to WMUR-TV’s candidate tracker.

His poll numbers are showing that, as well. In New Hampshire, he averages around 8 percent, or in the top five, according to an average of polls from Real Clear Politics, while in Iowa, he’s around 2.5 percent.

Read the full story with more on how Kasich can survive by skipping Iowa here.