Kasich vs Romney?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444165804578010573648201546.html (subscription required).

During the 33 years he’s spent in political office, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been blamed for a lot of things. However, he’s probably never stood accused of contributing to a Republican presidential candidate’s defeat, and by a member of his party no less.

But such was the case on Friday when House Speaker John Boehner suggested Gov. Kasich was undercutting the Romney campaign in Ohio, perhaps the most significant state this election. “One of the things that probably works against Romney in Ohio is the fact that Gov. Kasich has done such a good job of fixing government regulations in the state, attracting new businesses to the state,” said Mr. Boehner, who’s represented Ohio in Congress since 1991.

“Our unemployment rate in Ohio is lower than the national average as a matter of fact, I think it’s a full point lower than the national average,” he added. “So as a result people are still concerned about jobs in Ohio but it certainly isn’t like you see in some other states.”

Mr. Boehner isn’t the first Republican to suggest that reformist governors’ successes could be hurting Mr. Romney in key states like Ohio and Florida. The thing is, there’s no evidence to back up that theory. Mr. Romney has trailed President Obama in most swing states since the rising class of Republican governors took office nearly two years ago. His performance, however, has slipped universally in recent weeks, regardless of states’ economies….