Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who's widely expected to run for president, plans to make a special announcement on July 21 at Ohio State University, sources close to the governor confirm.
After the announcement, Kasich will travel to early nominating states, planning two days in New Hampshire followed by stops in South Carolina, Iowa and Michigan.
Related: Is Ohio governor John Kasich moving toward a presidential run?
The announcement is expected to come after another governor, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, likely joins the 2016 fray. Walker's announcement is planned for the week of July 13.
Kasich has been on the national political scene for decades, and now leads a purple state that's played a -- if not the -- critical role in picking presidents in recent general elections.
If he runs in 2016, Kasich, 62, could appeal to the more mainstream, business-minded Republican voters who carried Mitt Romney in 2012, and who Jeb Bush is wooing this time around. Kasich was one of the few Republican governors to accept the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, and he has avoided taking a hard line on immigration.
Kasich’s political success in the nation’s most pivotal swing state—he coasted to re-election last year—could also give him a strong electability argument. Cleveland will host the Republican National Convention next summer.
msnbc's Zachary Roth contributed to this report.