Gov. John Kasich plans to blitz New Hampshire's airwaves ahead of the launch of his presidential bid that he has all but said will hinge on whether he can succeed in the Granite State.

New Day for America, the Ohio Republican's political organization, confirmed that advertisements would begin airing on broadcast and cable television on Thursday. The well-crafted, one-minute spot will run in the expensive Boston media market, which blankets New Hampshire and is an essential part of any ad buy intends to saturate the state that hosts the first primary and second nominating contest of the 2016 cycle.

As Kasich has considered a presidential bid over the past few months, he has traveled to two other crucial early primary states, Iowa, which hosts a caucus and votes first, and South Carolina, whose traditional primary election follows New Hampshire. But it is the Granite State that Kasich has suggested offers him the best chance to break out of a deep field of contenders that numbers around 16.

"The thing about New Hampshire that's interesting, they look you square in the eyes, and to quote a former president, all the way deep into your soul, to figure out whether you are the kind of leader that they like, and so that's really what it gets down to," Kasich told reporters this week, on a swing through Washington to meet with supporters.

Kasich, 63, is expected to declare for the White House on July 21, during a rally on the campus of the Ohio State University, the governor's alma mater, in Columbus.

His New Hampshire television ad opens with a flash of headshot style pictures of the more than a dozen Democrats and Republicans seeking the presidency, before the female voiceover says: "Hey, what about us?" At that point, Kasich, dressed in a blazer and white dress shirt, speaks directly to the camera. "My dad carried mail on his back; they called him John the mailman … I learned something from my father: Do your best to look out for other people."

Kasich spends the balance of the spot touting his record as Ohio's governor and during the 18 years he spent in Congress, before the voiceover closes with: "John Kasich's for us."

The governor's supporters emphasize that the Ohioan isn't putting all of his eggs in the New Hampshire basket.

Rep. Pat Tiberi, the Ohio Republican who is chairman of Kasich's Washington steering committee and is actively whipping for him in the nation's capital, said the governor plans to spend plenty of time in the other early primary states, as well as Midwestern battlegrounds like Michigan. But Tiberi, who got his start in politics working for Kasich when he served in Congress, conceded that New Hampshire is key to the governor's prospects.

"He doesn't have as much money as some of the other people do right now, so he's got to be smart about the way he spends money and raises money," Tiberi said. "John acknowledges that his name ID isn't as high as other folks. But there's a way to improve the name ID and he's got the momentum to do it."

Kasich was in Washington on Tuesday to meet supporters of his presumed presidential bid and woo Republicans who are still free agents. The governor held a few meetings, and Tiberi said the evening reception that he organized for Kasich to meet with Republican members of Congress and GOP political operatives attracted more than 100 people. Rep. Gregg Harper, who attended the evening reception, came away impressed.

"Kasich just doesn't put up a veneer," said the Mississippi Republican, who remains neutral in the primary.

Kasich isn't the first Republican to put an extra emphasis on succeeding in New Hampshire, and indeed isn't the only one to do so in the 2016 primary.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also is banking on success in the Granite State to propel him forward. Meanwhile, the strategy worked out well for McCain in 2008 — he won New Hampshire and went on to secure the nomination. But if failed Huntsman four years ago; he lost the primary and exited the campaign soon after. Still, the approach is attractive because voters there are notoriously independent and have a history of siding with unconventional candidates and underdogs.

The unscripted, open-invite town hall meeting is a staple of New Hampshire campaigning, offering blunt, gruff politicians like Kasich — and Christie and McCain — an opportunity. Plus, independents can vote in the primary.

If the Republican primary remains more up in the air than the Democratic primary (Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has made waves but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remains heavily favored,) the GOP contest could see a surge of unaffiliated voters.

Disclosure: The author's wife works as an adviser to Scott Walker