Some anti-Trump GOPs turn to Ohio, where Kasich could win

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republicans hoping to stop presidential candidate Donald Trump were quickly deploying forces in Ohio Thursday as one of their last battlefronts ahead of Tuesday's crucial cluster of winner-take-all primaries.

Some anti-Trump groups said they were rushing to air television advertisements in Ohio, where home-state Gov. John Kasich has crept into a dead heat with the billionaire businessman, after the groups poured millions into Florida, despite Trump's solid lead there.

[...] some members of the Republican establishment in Ohio, the second-biggest prize among Tuesday's nomination contests, wondered if efforts to derail Trump here were coming too late and if their preoccupation with Florida has been a waste.

The former state elections chief and one-time contender to chair the Republican National Committee also sits on the boards of conservative groups Club for Growth and National Rifle Association.

Rival Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, vows to win the Florida primary, but has never led in voter surveys and has been running in second place according to recent polls.

Kasich, taking advantage of the Ohio Republican Party's apparatus, has carefully assembled a statewide get-out-the-vote operation, making gains through his positive, Trump-free message.