Gov. John Kasich (R) is “virtually certain” to jump into the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, sources tell ABC News.

“Kasich has said his wife and daughters have given him a green light to run and in recent days Kasich has told his political advisors to begin preparing for a likely campaign. Kasich travels to New Hampshire in early June and recently did a fundraising trip to California. If he makes the final decision to run, he will make the announcement in late June or July.”

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said he “doesn’t need to go to other countries to learn about foreign policy like some candidates,” the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Said Kasich: “I have a lot of people that I talk to (about foreign policy) but I’m not a student. I’m not being tutored anywhere. I’m not going to fly to, you know, London to go get some education or something.”

“I think people are tired of namby-pamby.”

— Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), quoted by the Columbus Dispatch, defending his “direct” style.

Molly Ball points out that all of the Republican presidential candidates “seem to have weaknesses that could become fatal flaws.”

“If only, Republican voters might be thinking, there were a candidate who could appeal to blue-collar voters but also mingle with the GOP establishment. A governor who’d proven he could run a large state but who also had national experience. Someone who’d won tough elections and maintained bipartisan popularity in an important swing state. A candidate whose folksy demeanor and humble roots would contrast nicely with Hillary Clinton’s impersonal, stiffly scripted juggernaut. That’s Kasich’s pitch, in a nutshell.”

“I didn’t fall off a turnip truck, here. I was a state senator, I was nine terms in Congress, I’ve been elected governor and won 86 out of 88 counties.”

— Gov. John Kasich (R),  quoted by Real Clear Politics, saying he’s more experienced than any of the other GOP presidential candidates.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) “continued to signal his increasing interest in running for president Sunday, saying he’s waiting for a signal from God before making the call,” Politico reports.

Said Kasich: “My family is a consideration. Number two, the most important thing is, what does the Lord want me to do with my life?”

“I don’t worry about separating myself. I’m just John Kasich. If it works, great. If not, I’ll play more golf.”

— Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), quoted by the Toledo Blade, on running for president in a crowded GOP field.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) “is about to launch a national political committee that would allow him to raise money and his profile as he considers a run for president in 2016,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

“Records show that a nonprofit called New Day for America incorporated this week with the Ohio secretary of state. The name is similar to one Kasich has used for his gubernatorial inaugural committee. The incorporator is listed as E. Mark Braden, an attorney and election-law specialist who has worked for Kasich before and who once served as chief counsel to the Republican National Committee.”

As he prepares for trips to South Carolina and New Hampshire this week, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said he was “seriously considering” a run for the Republican presidential nomination, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Said Kasich: “I’ve been serious about this all along, you’re just catching on.”

He added: “The most important question is can I win? Is it a winnable situation?”

“I’m an unorthodox politician, because I’m an ordinary person in a big job.”

— Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), quoted by the Wall Street Journal, “appearing tieless and sporting a spiky haircut” in a visit to New Hampshire.

New York Times: “Next week, Mr. Kasich will ratchet up his presidential guessing game with visits to the first primary state, New Hampshire, on Tuesday and to Manhattan on Wednesday to mingle at a dinner with Republican donors. In April, he will address the Detroit Economic Club, which recently hosted Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida.”

“If he does jump in, both skeptics and admirers say, Mr. Kasich must find a way to distinguish himself from an already overcrowded pack. But he will almost certainly enliven the debate and gain a measure of instant credibility because of Ohio’s status as a key swing state.”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer says there are two potential problems with Gov. John Kasich’s “playing-hard-to-get strategy” as he mulls a presidential bid.

“One, Kasich seems to be enjoying the attention a little too much. He knew that a trip to an electorally significant state would invite even more questions about his plans. But when those predictable questions came, Kasich was even coyer than usual… The second problem is that Kasich has done little to put himself in the competitive position he sees for himself at some undisclosed point in the future. He has no organization in early caucus or primary states. Republicans here say that, until this week, Kasich had not been on their radar screens as a presidential prospect.”

For those thinking Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) would announce a bid for next year’s Republican presidential nomination during a trip to South Carolina, the Columbus Dispatch notes his answer last night was clear: Not yet.

Said Kasich: “All options are on the table, and I’m not even close to making a decision on this.”

“In a sign of his rising interest in a potential 2016 presidential bid, Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich (R) said Tuesday he is studying up on foreign policy and beginning to outline his worldview, which includes support for sending U.S. ground forces to fight the Islamic State,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Kasich: “You will not solve this problem with only air power. There needs to be a coalition of NATO, Arab states, and ultimately some boots on the ground to stop the advancement of that group.”

He added: “The Western world and the Arab world need to get serious about stopping this kind of radicalism. If not, it will continue to spread and just bombing is imposing the status quo at best.”

Gov. John Kasich’s (R) “presidential deliberations are accelerating, as evidenced not only by an upcoming trip to South Carolina announced this week but also by the prominent Republican advisers entering his political orbit,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

“Ed Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman, met recently with Team Kasich… One Republican said a separate dinner meeting included former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, the first primary state. Richard Allen, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution who served as national security adviser under President Ronald Reagan, also attended the dinner.”