About two weeks before the first GOP Debate, Ohio Governor John Kasich announced he will be running for president.
After hinting at a possible candidacy for months, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has taken the plunge into an official 2016 presidential campaign, making him the 16th Republican running in the primaries.
Kasich announced his candidacy Tuesday morning at the Ohio Union at Ohio State University’s campus in Columbus.
Kasich, who just started his second term as governor, served as a U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 12th District from 1983 to 2001.
"I have to humbly tell you that I believe I do have the skills and I have the experience and the testing," he said during his announcement.
Echoing words he’s used in previous speeches, notably in his February State of the State address, he said the the sun would “rise to its zenith again in America.”
Kasich is announcing his candidacy more than a month after fellow presidential hopefuls Jeb Bush and Donald Trump and a week later than Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
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“I think he did very well I think he’s got a good message,” Athens County Republican Chairman Pete Couladis said. “He’s probably got a broader experience than most of the others as a representative, being the chairman of an important committee and now a governor.”
Kasich will have some ground to cover when it comes to the polls. According to the most recent poll generated by ABC News and the Washington Post, Kasich is polling at about 2 percent among Republicans, compared to Trump at 24 percent and Walker at 13 percent.
Those figures might put Kasich out of the running for the first Republican primary debate, slated for Aug. 6. According to a news release from the Fox News Network, which will host the debate, only the top ten candidates will be allowed on the debate, based on the averages five most recent polls.
“It’s a little bit late with all the others jumping in, but it’s still too early to call,” Couladis said. “I think a lot of people aren’t paying attention yet.”
Kasich is polling strongly in Ohio according to a Quinnipiac University poll from last month, scoring a full seven points ahead of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
In an interview with the Post last month, State Sen. Lou Gentile said he doubted Kasich had the best interests of Ohioans in mind, as signs of a potential presidential campaign grew more obvious.
“He’s cut billions of dollars from schools from local governments, he’s taken away collective bargaining rights. … I think the bigger question is (if) one is the governor how’s he going to campaign and still (perform) his duties,” Gentile said.
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