Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) would not definitively say today whether he thought Mitt Romney could win the Buckeye State in November if the former Massachusetts governor is the GOP presidential nominee.

“It’s going to be close,” Kasich said today on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It’s going to be tight as a tick out here. It always is. Ohio is a battleground state, and it’s those independent voters and whoever can tell them that they’re going to improve this economy and create jobs for families will be the winner.”

Kasich had backed Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour until he announced he would not jump into the race, then urged New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to run. Kasich has not yet formally backed a nominee for president in the current field and told the Cleveland Plain Dealer last fall he might not endorse any candidate.

Recent polls from Rasmussen Reports and Quinnipiac University, taken at the end of last month, show President Barack Obama leading Romney in Ohio by 8 points and 6 points, respectively.