Ohio Governor John Kasich has hinted a possible run for president. Local political leaders have differing opinions on what effect this might have for the state.
With Republicans Jeb Bush and Donald Trump having announced their campaigns for president in the last year, Ohio Governor John Kasich might not be far behind, already hinting that he would announce his candidacy sometime after June.
But local leaders and representatives have differing views as to what this would mean for Ohio, the region and Ohio University students.
Ohio State Senator Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville and Athens representative, was critical of Kasich’s recent trips to battleground states like South Carolina, New Hampshire and, most recently, Michigan, suggesting it was taking away from his gubernatorial responsibilities.
“While he’s spending the majority of his time running around the country pretending to be a moderate republican, he’s reminding all of us (at the statehouse) where his allegiances lie,” Gentile said.
He referred to Kasich’s move to end collective bargaining for health care workers late last month as indication that he might not have the best interests of his constituents in mind.
“I don’t know if that’s an effort to remind conservative voters of his allegiance,” he said. “As far as his political future goes we’re in the midst of the state budget. I think he’s gotten a little off track.”
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Gentile said he didn’t think Kasich’s ties to Ohio would have much effect on how successful he would be in the swing state.
“I don’t believe the Buckeye state, regardless of the Governor’s status as a resident, will impact his performance in the election,” he said.
However, a poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University suggested he might be successful in the state if he became a candidate.
That poll put Kasich seven points ahead of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton in Ohio.
Gentile said Ohio had little to gain from having Kasich in the oval office, adding that he didn’t think the Governor had a strong commitment to policies that affect Southeast Ohio.
“He’s cut billions of dollars from schools from local governments, he’s taken away collective bargaining rights… I think the bigger question is one is the governor how’s he going to campaign and still (perform) his duties,” Gentile said
One area in which Kasich has taken a moderate stance on is higher education.
During his February State of the State address, he touted higher education as a way to encourage economic growth in the state, and proposed a cap and freeze on tuition rates at state universities as a way to reduce tuition costs.
He added that the move likely wouldn’t have a huge effect on an individual’s student debt, but that it would “signal that we know how tough it is.”
Also in February, Kasich put together a nine-member task force that would be responsible for evaluating some of the main sources of university spending in an attempt to reduce tuition costs.
But State Representative Debbie Phillips, D-Albany, was critical of the speech, saying that Kasich was not doing enough to support universities.
Athens County Republican Party Chair Pete Couladis said he thinks Kasich would be a strong candidate, but that his late start in the campaign might put him at a disadvantage.
“That could be something that hinders him because some people want to jump on this early, especially the hard hitters,” Couladis said.
As it is, Kasich might not be eligible for the first Republican debate, which is slated for early August.
But Couladis, who said he has known the governor since they were both members of the Ohio College Republicans in the 1970s, said he thinks Kasich has succeeded in balancing the state budget and that he “understands Washington.”
Kasich served on the U.S. House of Representative from 1983 to 2001.
“I think he’s got a good track record to run on and we’ll see what happens,” Couladis said.
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