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Former Utah governor Leavitt endorses Kasich, joins leadership team

Former Utah governor Mike Leavitt endorsed GOP presidential candidate and Ohio governor John Kasich and joined the 'Kasich for America' leadership team on Thursday.

Leavitt was governor of Utah from 1993 to 2003 and was part of George W. Bush's cabinet as the Environmental Protection Agency administrator and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“I trust his temperament and the tone of his campaign,' Leavitt said in a statement on the Kasich campaign website. 'I worked closely with Governor Kasich over many years and I have witnessed his ability to bring people together to get things done'

Kasich stands as the back of the GOP presidential candidate pack with 143 candidates.

The Kasich campaign website states that Leavitt will bring conservative policy experience as the campaign continues to try building momentum in Utah.

Kasich will hold town hall meetings in Utah on March 18 at Utah Valley University, University of Utah and Davis High School, just days before the Utah GOP caucus on March 22.

A Feb. Dan Jones & Associates poll held now-defunct presidential hopeful Marco Rubio as the slim favorite for Republican voters in Utah. Events since February whittled the field to only three GOP candidates. That leaves a major vacuum for both voters and the candidates.