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Kasich-O-Meter.

Democracy in Action:
Kasich 2000 (exploratory campaign)



ww.governor.ohio.gov
Office of Gov. John Kasich
JohnRKasich |  @JohnKasich
www.kasichforohio.com
Kasich Taylor for Ohio
www.edfitzgeraldforohio.com
Friends of FitzGerald-Neuhardt
Ed FitzGerald/Sharen Neuhardt (D)

www.riosforgovernor.com
Rios/Fitrakis 2014
Anita Rios/Ed Fitrakis



Conventional Wisdom
Strengths
- Depth of experience both in Washington, DC and at the state level.
- Accomplishments as governor.
- Policy wonk.
- Hails from battleground Ohio.
- Having waged an exploratory campaign in 1999, he will have some idea of what to expect.
Weaknesses
- Expansion of Medicaid an anathema to conservatives.

Notes, Coverage and Speeches
- State of the State Address at the Medina Performing Arts Center in Medina, OH, Feb. 24, 2014. [PDF]

2014 - Gov. Kasich had no trouble with his re-election, defeating Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald (D) and Anita Rios (G) by 63.6% to 33.0% and 3.3% and carrying all but two counties (Athens and Monroe).  As of Election Day it was unclear if Kasich had any interest in running for president.  He focused on governing and on his re-election campaign (>), and, for example, made no visits to the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

2013  - Gov. Kasich has not given overt signals that he is interested in running for president in 2016, such as visiting key early primary states or setting up a leadership PAC.  He first must get re-elected in Nov. 2014, and that could be a challenge considering he was elected by just two percentage points (49.04 to 47.04) in 2010.  Matt Carle, who served as Kasich's director of legislative affairs, started as campaign manager in August.  Kasich can point to an array of accomplishments in the first three years of his administration; at the top of the list is turning a $7.7 billion budget deficit into a surplus, and filling the state's rainy day fund to a record $1.48 billion.  In "A Year in Review" video (>), Kasich highlights 2013 accomplishments, first of which is, "We cut taxes by $2.7 billion, more than any other state, by cutting income taxes 10 percent for all Ohioans and by cutting taxes for virtually every small business in half."  Not mentioned, the state sales tax rate increased from 5.5-percent to 5.75 percent on Sept. 1 and new property taxes are coming into effect.  Kasich also states Ohio is investing "$1.6 billion in new money in education, the largest increase in a decade."  And he states, "We found an innovative and a creative way to tackle Ohio's most pressing transportation needs."  (The Ohio Turnpike is to "issue bonds backed by future toll revenue and use that money to build critical transportation projects mostly in Northern Ohio.")  In a surprising move in October, Kasich went against Republicans in the General Assembly and pushed through expansion of Medicaid; the state will accept $2.5 billion provided for by the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  Ohio Democrats have pointed to a various reports indicating that Ohio's economy is lagging behind the national economy.  They have also been critical of of Kasich's JobsOhio, "a private, nonprofit organization that promotes job creation and economic development for Ohio."  In the first half of 1999 Kasich waged an exploratory campaign for the 2000 Republican nomination.  Sixteen years later, there may be another Kasich presidential run, but much will depend on 2014. 

Readings
     
John Kasich.  2010.  EVERY OTHER MONDAY: Twenty Years of Life, Lunch, Faith, and Friendship.  New York: Atria Books [Simon & Schuster]. >
"Where do you go when the water rises? For more than twenty years, John Kasich has sought the answer to this question and many of life’s most fundamental challenges in an unlikely place: his twice-a-month lunches with an irreverent, thoughtful, and spirited circle of guys who are members of a Bible study group."

John Kasich.  May 2006.  STAND FOR SOMETHING: The Battle for America's Soul.  New York: Grand Central Publishing [Hachetter Group]
"In STAND FOR SOMETHING, he tackles-head-on-the erosion of long-standing, hard-earned values upon which our nation is built."Honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, faith, humility, accountability, compassion, forgiveness...These are our American values, our common denominators..."Drawing on his childhood growing up in blue-collar McKees Rocks, PA, his college years, his Washington career, and his most recent turn in the private sector, Kasich reminds us of the fundamental principles that are our American legacy."

John Kasich.  Nov. 1998.  COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS: Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things to Change the Face of America.  New York: Doubleday Books. >
"...John Kasich profiles twenty people who are doing incredible things to help and inspire others, a celebration of individuals he's met whom he considers his 'heroes.'  Far more than a compilation of isolated acts of bravery and compassion, Kasich...sees the actions evidence by the people in his book as part of a larger, steadily growing crusade that is changing America.  He calls it the 'New Volunteerism...'"
this page last revised December 12, 2014
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