The idea popular governors are shoe-ins for Senate seats isn't always true. Especially when it's a wave year as 2018 is likely to be.
You mean... like 2016 is likely to be a D wave year? I think Kasich would beat Brown pretty handily in a neutral year, not that he would have an easy time winning the Republican primary.
I never thought 2016 would be a wave, and a lot of blue avatars now seem to believe in a "red wall" in a bizarre reversal from 18 months ago. And throwing Kasich's name sounds almost like they expect to lose without him.