Last week could have been the end of Gov. John Kasich’s presidential campaign if not for a decisive primary win in his home state of Ohio. Now he could be the only hope for the anybody-but-Donald-Trump crowd that also remains extremely wary of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

Gov. Kasich said in the days leading to the vote that he would suspend his campaign if he lost Ohio to more radical candidates, meaning Mr. Trump or Sen. Cruz.

Gov. Kasich avoided the fate of Sen. Marco Rubio, who suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Mr. Trump in his home state of Florida and dropped out of the Republican race that night.

With 46.8% of the Ohio vote, Gov. Kasich secured all 66 delegates of the winner-take-all state.

Despite the win, it is mathematically impossible for Gov. Kasich to reach the 1,237 delegates required to secure the nomination. His only hope is an open, or “brokered,” convention, where he would be installed by the party establishment.

This is not beyond the realm of possibility. Many have touted him as the only “adult in the room” during debates and on the campaign trail, where vitriol and personal attacks are the norm in a particularly ugly and contentious election season.

Polling data suggests that it is possible that no candidate will reach the magic number of 1,237 delegates to secure the nomination, leading to the first truly open convention in more than a half century.

While the GOP is unlikely to choose a candidate who has not received a large portion of the vote, with the fear of alienating its own voting body, it is considered the “Hail Mary” of party elites.

Gov. Kasich’s campaign has had to continually adapt to this changing political landscape. The AMSA Voice reached out to Gov. Kasich with questions about how he has adapted to a new dynamic, and how he believes his policies impact the millennial generation, many of whom are new to the electoral process.

Gov. Kasich was kind enough to take time out of his campaign for an exclusive email interview with The AMSA Voice.

Q: What advice would you give to high school students who are entering the political sphere and voting for the first time?

A: Do not be intimidated or discouraged by the ballyhoo and bedlam involved. Do not be put off by the vulgar level of the discourse. Try to find the candidate that best addresses the issues of concern to you and who you believe has best demonstrated qualification to effect the change that you are looking for from our national government.

Q: Which of your policies do you think will have the greatest impact on the millennial generation and why?

A: Balancing the budget of the federal government within eight years. Balancing the budget will allow the U.S. to pay down debt and will create a greater climate of certainty for investors. Because they will not have to fear interest rate or inflation spikes or currency devaluations when the budget is balanced, U.S. investors will be more inclined to invest and create jobs for the next generation of leaders who are just entering the workforce.

Q: Younger generations are becoming increasingly influenced by social media and online networks, and less so by traditional media forms. How does this affect your campaign, and how will it impact political engagement in the future?

A: The overwhelming majority of the Kasich campaign’s communication resources are devoted to digital media. “War rooms” consisting of dozens of persons follow activity on social media during debates and primaries in real time identifying trending items and measuring and responding to the trends immediately. This will remain the shape of things to come.

Q: According to the FCC, it is still illegal to telemarket to cellphones, which for millennials is the predominant form of communication. How can you connect with a generation that has not been historically accessible to campaigning?

A: The traditional tools of campaigning remain particularly important: nothing moves voter opinion better than door-to-door calls by volunteers. The town hall meeting has been equally effective for the Kasich campaign in creating an in-person connection. Televised debates remain an important feature of the environment, as does television advertising and online web advertising.

Only time will tell the fate of Gov. Kasich’s campaign. For many he has become the bastion of hope that there is still rationalism and intelligence within a conservative candidate, but for others his moderate policies are part of a bygone age.

Whether Gov. Kasich’s Ohio win will give him any kind of momentum will begin to be tested today, as the race moves to Arizona and Utah.