On Tuesday, Ohio Governor John Kasich announced his intention to officially enter the Republican presidential primary. He becomes the 16th Republican candidate who will qualify for the ballot. The field is expected to swell to its maximum size when former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore joins the contest next month.
Prior to being twice elected governor of the Buckeye State, Mr. Kasich’s public service included a stint in the Ohio Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. While in the House, the governor rose up in the GOP ranks to become chairman of the House Budget Committee. He opted not to seek re-election in 2000, but instead formed a presidential exploratory committee. Due to weak fundraising, Mr. Kasich ended his presidential ambitions, only to resurrect them this election cycle.
Mr. Kasich begins well back in the second tier of candidates. He has a built-in advantage in that his home state of Ohio – just recently, and with Kasich himself signing the legislation – enacted a new election law that places their 66 Republican National Convention delegates in the Winner-Take-All category.
The Governor also increased his own stakes as a way to boost himself, when he signed the legislation in June. Though winning his home state would provide him a sound base of delegates from which to grow, his action could well end his campaign, too. Should he prove uncompetitive in the early states, losing his own state could well cost him all viability.
For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at ashinoffd@agc.org or (202) 547-5013. Return to Top