Ohio Gov. Kasich jumps into 2016 race
COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s official: John Kasich is running for president, becoming the 16th major candidate seeking the GOP’s 2016 nomination.
“I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support, for your efforts, because I have decided to run for president," Kasich told about 2,100 supporters in Columbus, amid cheers of "Run John Run."
The Ohio governor hopes his no-nonsense brand of sometimes-moderate politics will gain enough traction in a crowded field to overcome shortfalls in name recognition and fundraising. His campaign will tout his leadership in the House of Representatives, especially when Congress balanced its budget, and his tenure in Ohio as the state has continued its recovery from the Great Recession.
“I do believe that I have the skills. I have the experience and the testing, the testing which shapes you and prepares you for the most important job in the world," Kasich said. “We are going to take the lessons of the heartland and straighten out Washington, D.C.”
The former nine-term congressman had eased into the primary field this winter after winning a landslide election to his second term as governor of the quintessential swing state. He began campaigning in earnest and fundraising this spring – months and, in some cases, years after other GOP candidates – trying out a campaign strategy that would focus on New Hampshire and largely ignore conservative Iowa.
Now, finally, he’s in. At Tuesday’s campaign launch, an estimated 2,100 people filled the floor, stairs and balconies in the three-story atrium of Ohio State University’s student union, where vertical banners tout “Kasich for President.”
As usual, Kasich, 63, spoke without a teleprompter, relying loosely on notes. His speech stretched more than 43 minutes, a rambling, vintage Kasich address. "We proved them wrong again" served as one theme, as Kasich talked about his experience. He also focused on giving hope to the downtrodden, mentally ill, poor and unemployed.
“We are going to take the lessons of the heartland and straighten out Washington, D.C.," Kasich said. “America is going to become stronger … not by dividing each other, but by staying together, with our eyes on the horizon."
The idea of Kasich's candidacy has excited some voters and intrigued national reporters, who praise his candor and pragmatism.
But his White House bid faces significant hurdles: He's entering a GOP field that hasn't stopped growing. He's relatively unknown in many parts of the country, drawing 1% to 2% in national polls. In fact, he needs a polling boost from his official campaign launch to guarantee he'll qualify for the GOP's first primary debate, on Aug. 6 in Ohio.
The governor has been fundraising since May, via an allied nonprofit called "New Day for America." Despite the late start, the group raised $11.5 million through the end of the June.
Kasich will also start to face pushback nationally for some of the more complicated and controversial elements of his legacy.
Chief among them: Ohio's economic recovery. The state's unemployment rate generally has remained below the national rate, and economists credit the privatized JobsOhio with attracting new companies. Still, Ohio has yet to recover all the jobs it lost in the recession.
Kasich's 2014 re-election victory in 86 out of 88 counties also deserves an asterisk, since the demise of his scandal-ridden opponent held November voter turnout down to 40%, the lowest on record. (Still, Kasich's job approval is at 60%.)
"Any time a politician has a free pass in an election cycle, he's going to do well," said David Pepper, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, acknowledging his party's disastrous gubernatorial campaign.
And the budget Kasich balanced in Ohio? The state has a constitutional requirement to do so.
It's a mix that intrigues voters who hear him in person. So he's got a lot of voters to meet.
He's focusing his early campaign on winning New Hampshire, a small state with only 10 counties — compared with Iowa's 99. A New Hampshire campaign may only require him to spend a couple million dollars, and Kasich routinely compares a win in that state to the takeoff of a jet from an aircraft carrier.
"Can you get started and then bring in more money the better you do?" he mused this spring.
To boost his effort, Kasich's campaign has hired John Weaver, the campaign strategist behind John McCain's New Hampshire-winning "Straight Talk Express." He has five town halls in New Hampshire this week alone, mimicking McCain's strategy.
Meanwhile, New Day for America has hired ad man Fred Davis, whose memorable campaigns range from the ingenious to the inflammatory. (Think Gov. Rick Snyder's "One Tough Nerd" in Michigan and Christine O'Donnell's "I'm not a witch" spot in the 2010 U.S. Senate race in Delaware.)
Between a pre-launch ad campaign and one that launches Tuesday, the group will have spent almost $3 million already running Davis' commercials in New Hampshire, the first major 2016 ad buy in New England.