John Kasich
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Template:John Kasich series John Richard Kasich Jr. (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> born May 13, 1952)<ref name="westervillelibrary.org">Template:Cite web</ref> is an American politician and author who was the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, and was a candidate for the presidential nomination in 2000 and 2016.<ref name=governor>Template:Cite news</ref>
Kasich was born and grew up in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, and moved to Ohio in 1970 to attend college. After a single term in the Ohio Senate, he served nine terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Template:Ushr.<ref name=congress>Template:Cite news</ref> His tenure in the House included 18 years on the House Armed Services Committee and six years as chair of the House Budget Committee. Kasich was a key figure in the passage of both 1996 welfare reform legislation and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Kasich decided not to run for re-election in 2000 and ran for president instead. He withdrew from the race before the Republican primaries.
After leaving Congress, Kasich hosted Heartland with John Kasich on Fox News from 2001 to 2007 and served as managing director of the Lehman Brothers office in Columbus, Ohio.<ref name="lehman-race">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="dayton-daily-news">Template:Cite news</ref> He ran for governor of Ohio in 2010, defeating Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland.<ref name=election>Template:Cite news</ref> He was re-elected in 2014, defeating Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald by 30 percentage points. Kasich was term-limited and could not seek a third gubernatorial term in 2018; he was succeeded by fellow Republican Mike DeWine.
Kasich ran for president again in 2016, finishing in fourth place in the Republican primaries behind Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. He won the primary in his home state of Ohio and finished second in New Hampshire. Kasich declined to support Trump as the Republican presidential nominee and did not attend the 2016 Republican National Convention, which was held in Ohio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2019 to 2023, Kasich was a CNN contributor. Since March 2023, he has been an analyst on NBC News.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kasich is known as one of Trump's most prominent critics within the Republican Party,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for president in a speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.<ref name=Vehicle>Template:Cite web</ref>
Early life, education, and early political career
John Richard Kasich Jr. was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburb of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.Template:Sfn His parents were Anne (Template:Nee Vukovich; 1918–1987) and John Richard Kasich (1919–1987), who worked as a mail carrier.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Kasich's father was of Czech descent, while his mother was of Croatian descent.Template:Sfn Both parents were children of immigrants and were practicing Roman Catholics.Template:Sfn He has described himself as "a Croatian and a Czech".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His paternal grandparents were Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants from the Ung County of Czechoslovakia at the time.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
After attending public schools in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Kasich later left his native Pennsylvania, settling in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970 to attend Ohio State University, where he joined the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.<ref name=alpha>Template:Cite news</ref>
As a freshman, he wrote a letter to President Richard Nixon describing concerns he had about the nation and requesting a meeting with the President. The letter was delivered to Nixon by the university's president Novice Fawcett and Kasich was granted a 20-minute meeting with Nixon in December 1970.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Ohio State in 1974,<ref name=pvs>Template:Cite news</ref> he went on to work as a researcher for the Ohio Legislative Service Commission.<ref name=bischoff>Template:Cite news</ref> From 1975 to 1978, he served as an administrative assistant to then-state Senator Buz Lukens.<ref name=fox>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ohio Senate career
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In 1978, Kasich ran against Democratic incumbent Robert O'Shaughnessy for State Senate. A political ally of Kasich remembers him during that time as a persistent campaigner: "People said, 'If you just quit calling me, I'll support you.'"<ref name=Gomez>Template:Cite news</ref> At age 26, Kasich won with 56% of the vote, beginning his four-year term representing the 15th district.<ref name=wews>Template:Cite news</ref> Kasich was the second youngest person ever elected to the Ohio Senate.<ref name=enquirer>Template:Cite news</ref>
One of his first acts as a State Senator was to refuse a pay raise.<ref name=blade>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=vindicator>Template:Cite news</ref> Republicans gained control of the State Senate in 1980, but Kasich went his own way, for example, by opposing a budget proposal he believed would raise taxes and writing his own proposal instead.<ref name=Gomez />
U.S. House of Representatives (1983–2001)
In 1982, Kasich ran for Congress in Ohio's 12th congressional district, which included portions of Columbus as well as the cities of Westerville, Reynoldsburg, Worthington, and Dublin. He won the Republican primary with 83% of the vote<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and defeated incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Bob Shamansky in the general election by a margin of 50%–47%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He would never face another contest nearly that close, and was re-elected eight more times with at least 64 percent of the vote.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During his congressional career, Kasich was considered a fiscal conservative, taking aim at programs supported by Republicans and Democrats. He worked with Ralph Nader in seeking to reduce corporate tax loopholes.<ref name="Rough Edges">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Kasich was a member of the House Armed Services Committee for 18 years.<ref name="MeetKasich">Template:Cite news</ref> He developed a "fairly hawkish" reputation on that committee,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> although he "also zealously challenged" defense spending he considered wasteful.<ref name="MeetKasich"/><ref name="Eaton">Template:Cite news</ref> Among the Pentagon projects that he targeted were the B-2 bomber program (teaming up with Democratic representative Ron Dellums to cut the program, their efforts were partly successful)<ref name="Rough Edges"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the A-12 bomber program (ultimately canceled by defense secretary Dick Cheney in 1991).<ref name="Eaton"/> He participated extensively in the passage of the Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986, which reorganized the U.S. Department of Defense.<ref name="Eaton"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He also pushed through the bill creating the 1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, which closed obsolete U.S. military bases, and successfully opposed a proposed $110 million expansion of the Pentagon building after the end of the Cold War.<ref name="Eaton"/> He also "proposed a national commission on arms control" and "urged tighter controls over substances that could be used for biological warfare."<ref name="Eaton"/>
Kasich said he was "100 percent for" the first Persian Gulf War as well as the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, but said that he did not favor U.S. military participation in the Lebanese Civil War or in Bosnia.<ref name="ForeignPolicyRowland">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1997, with fellow Republican representative Floyd Spence, he introduced legislation (supported by some congressional Democrats) for the U.S. to pull out of a multilateral peacekeeping force in Bosnia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the House, he supported the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, a U.S. Representative Ron Dellums (D- CA)-led initiative to impose economic sanctions against apartheid-era South Africa.<ref name="Eaton"/>
Ranking member of the House Budget Committee
In 1993, Kasich became the ranking Republican member of the House Budget Committee. Kasich and other House Budget Committee Republicans proposed an alternative to President Bill Clinton's deficit reduction bill, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993.<ref name="Pianin">Template:Cite news</ref> That proposal included funds to implement Republican proposals for health care, welfare, and crime control legislation and for a child tax credit.<ref name="Pianin"/> The Penny-Kasich Plan, named after Kasich and fellow lead sponsor Tim Penny, was supported by Republicans and conservative Democrats.<ref name="Penny-Kasich">Template:Cite news</ref> It proposed $90 billion in spending cuts over five years, almost three times as much in cuts as the $37 billion in cuts backed by the Clinton administration and Democratic congressional leaders.<ref name="Penny-Kasich"/> About one-third ($27 billion) of the proposed Penny-Kasich cuts would come from means-testing Medicare, specifically by reducing Medicare payments to seniors who earned $75,000 or more in adjusted gross income.<ref name="Crawford">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> This angered the AARP, which lobbied against the legislation.<ref name="Crawford"/> Another $26 billion of the Penny-Kasich plan's cuts would have come from the U.S. Department of Defense and foreign aid, which led Secretary of Defense Les Aspin to say that the plan would destroy military morale.<ref name="Crawford"/> Another $27 billion in savings would have come from federal layoffs.<ref name="Crawford"/> The proposal was narrowly defeated in the House by a 219–213 vote.<ref name="Penny-Kasich"/><ref name="Crawford"/>
As ranking member of the Budget Committee, Kasich proposed his own health care reform plan as a rival to the Clinton health care plan of 1993 championed by First Lady Hillary Clinton, but more market-based.<ref name="Miller">Template:Cite magazine</ref> As journalist Zeke Miller wrote in Time magazine, "The Kasich plan would have covered all Americans by 2005, using a form of an individual mandate that would have required employees to purchase insurance through their employers. (The mandate was an idea initially supported by conservative groups like The Heritage Foundation.)"<ref name="Miller"/>
On November 17, 1993, Kasich voted to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement, casting a "yea" vote for the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1994, Kasich was one of the Republican leaders to support a last-minute deal with President Bill Clinton to pass the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. After a series of meetings with Clinton's Chief of Staff, Leon Panetta, a longtime friend of Kasich, the assault weapons ban was passed when 42 Republicans crossed party lines and voted to ban assault weapons with the Democrats.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His support of the assault-weapons ban resulted in the NRA Political Victory Fund giving Kasich an "F" rating in 1994.<ref name="nra-rating">Template:Cite news</ref>
Chair of the House Budget Committee
In 1995, when Republicans gained the majority in the United States Congress following the 1994 election, Kasich became chair of the House Budget Committee. In 1996, he introduced the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act in the House, an important welfare reform bill signed into law by President Clinton.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
During the 1996 presidential campaign, Republican nominee Bob Dole was reported to have considered Kasich as a vice presidential running mate but instead selected Jack Kemp, a former congressman and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1997, Kasich rose to national prominence after becoming "the chief architect of a deal that balanced the federal budget for the first time since 1969"—the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.<ref name="SymthBudget">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1998, Kasich voted to impeach President Clinton on all four charges made against him.<ref name="PayneWBUR">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1999, while the Senate prepared to vote on the charges, he said: "I believe these are impeachable and removable offenses."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2000 presidential campaign
Template:Main Template:Further Kasich did not seek re-election in 2000. In February 1999, he formed an exploratory committee to run for president.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Kasich forms exploratory committee to run for president Template:Webarchive, CNN (February 15, 1999).</ref> In March 1999 he announced his campaign for the Republican nomination. After very poor fundraising, he dropped out in July 1999, before the Iowa Straw Poll, and endorsed governor George W. Bush of Texas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Private sector career (2001–2009)
After leaving Congress, Kasich went to work for Fox News, hosting Heartland with John Kasich on the Fox News Channel and guest-hosting The O'Reilly Factor, filling in for Bill O'Reilly as needed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also occasionally appeared as a guest on Hannity & Colmes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Business career
Kasich served on the board of directors for several corporations, including Invacare Corp. and the Chicago-based Norvax Inc. In 2001, Kasich joined Lehman Brothers' investment banking division as a managing director, in Columbus, Ohio.<ref name="nyt-hires">Template:Cite news</ref> He remained at Lehman Brothers until it declared bankruptcy in 2008. That year, Lehman Brothers paid him a $182,692 salary and a $432,200 bonus. He stated that the bonus was for work performed in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Kasich's employment by Lehman Brothers was criticized during his subsequent campaigns in light of the firm's collapse during the 2008 financial crisis.<ref name="lehman-race"/> Kasich responded to critics by saying: "I wasn't involved in the inner workings of Lehman, I was a banker. I didn't go to board meetings or go and talk investment strategy with the top people. I was nowhere near that. That's like, it's sort of like being a car dealer in Zanesville and being blamed for the collapse of GM."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Political activities from 2001 to 2009
Republicans made efforts to recruit Kasich to run for Ohio governor in 2006, but he declined to enter the race.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2008, Kasich formed Recharge Ohio, a political action committee (PAC) with the goal of raising money to help Republican candidates for the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate, in an effort to retain Republican majorities in the Ohio General Assembly.<ref>Joe Hallett, Kasich creates PAC to help Ohio GOP retain power Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (July 15, 2008).</ref> Kasich served as honorary chairman of the PAC.<ref>Kevin Risner, Kasich announces leadership team for Ohio PAC Template:Webarchive, Advertiser-Tribune (February 17, 2009).</ref>
Governor of Ohio
2010 election
Template:Main On May 1, 2009, Kasich filed papers to run for governor of Ohio against incumbent Democratic governor Ted Strickland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He formally announced his candidacy on June 1, 2009. On January 15, 2010, Kasich announced Ohio State Auditor Mary Taylor as his running mate.
During a speech before Ashtabula County Republicans in March 2009, Kasich talked about the need to "break the back of organized labor in the schools," according to the Ashtabula Star Beacon.<ref>Points of division: Jobs dominate, but 'hot button' issues remain important in governor's race, Columbus Dispatch Template:Webarchive</ref>
Ohio teachers' unions supported Strickland, and after Kasich's gubernatorial victory, he said, "I am waiting for the teachers' unions to take out full-page ads in all the major newspapers, apologizing for what they had to say about me during this campaign."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Elsewhere, he said he was willing to work with "unions that make things."<ref>Unions that 'make things' will get chance to help | Columbus Dispatch PoliticsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
On May 4, 2010, Kasich won the Republican nomination for governor, having run unopposed. On November 2, 2010, Kasich defeated Strickland in a closely contested race to win the governorship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was sworn in at midnight on January 10, 2011, in a private ceremony at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. It was then followed by a ceremonial inauguration at the Ohio Theatre at noon on the same day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2014 re-election
Template:Main In November 2014, Kasich won re-election, defeating Democrat Ed FitzGerald, the county executive of Cuyahoga County, 64% to 33%. He won 86 of 88 counties.
Kasich, who was elected with Tea Party support in 2010, faced some backlash from some Tea Party activists. His decision to accept the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's expansion of Medicaid caused some Tea Party activists to refuse to support his campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kasich supported longtime ally and campaign veteran Matt Borges over Portage County Tea Party chairman Tom Zawistowski for the position of chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. Zawistowski secured just three votes in his run for the chairmanship.<ref>Green, Justin (May 6, 2013). Why Does the Tea Party Want to Let Democrats Run Ohio? Template:Webarchive, The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 24, 2014.</ref> Tea Party groups announced they would support a primary challenger, or, if none emerged, the Libertarian nominee.<ref>Freedlander, David (September 4, 2013). Ohio Republican Party Goes to War With Itself, Leaving 2016 in Doubt Template:Webarchive, The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 24, 2014.</ref>
Ultimately, Zawistowski failed to field anyone on the ballot and the Libertarian nominee (former Republican State Representative Charlie Earl) was removed from the ballot after failing to gain the required number of valid signatures necessary for ballot access.<ref>Joe Vardon, Libertarians angry at GOP while acknowledging faults Template:Webarchive, The Columbus Dispatch ( March 9, 2014).</ref>
Political positions and record
Kasich is considered by some to be a moderate Republican due to his strong condemnation of far-right and populist conservatives and his opposition to Donald Trump. However, his record in the House and as governor of Ohio has led others to point out that his views place him to the right of most moderate politicians. Larry Sabato, the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, who has known Kasich for years, says that "If you had asked me in the 90s about Kasich I would have said he was a Gingrich conservative."<ref name="Walters">Joanna Walters, John Kasich has been billed as moderate candidate, but his record is anything but Template:Webarchive, The Guardian (February 11, 2016).</ref> Kasich's friend Curt Steiner, former chief of staff to former Republican Ohio governor and U.S. senator George Voinovich, described Kasich as a "solid Republican" with "an independent streak."<ref name="enquirer.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
Kasich's tenure as governor was notable for his expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, his work combating the opioid addiction crisis, his attempt (later reversed by Ohio voters in a 2011 referendum) to curtail collective bargaining for public sector employees, his local government funding cuts, his passage of several anti-abortion laws, his veto of a six-week abortion ban, his tax cuts, and his evolving position on gun control.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Abortion
Kasich opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest, and danger to the mother's life.<ref name="Walters"/><ref name="PilkingtonProLife">Template:Cite news</ref> As governor, he signed 18 abortion-restrictive measures into law.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In June 2013, Kasich signed into law a state budget, HB 59, which stripped some $1.4 million in federal dollars from Planned Parenthood by placing the organization last on the priority list for family-planning funds;<ref name="Blackwell"/><ref name="OHAbortionRestrictions">Template:Cite news</ref> provided funding to crisis pregnancy centers;<ref name="OHAbortionRestrictions"/> and required women seeking abortions to undergo ultrasounds.<ref name="Blackwell"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The budget also barred abortion providers from entering into emergency transfer agreements with public hospitals, requiring abortion providers to find private hospitals willing to enter into transfer agreements.<ref name="Blackwell"/> Another provision of the bill requires abortion providers to offer information on family planning and adoption services in certain situations.<ref name="Blackwell"/> Under the budget, rape crisis centers could lose public funding if they counseled sexual assault victims about abortion.<ref name="OHAbortionRestrictions"/>
In 2015, Kasich said in an interview that Planned Parenthood "ought to be de-funded", but added that Republicans in Congress should not force a government shutdown over the issue.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In December 2016, Kasich approved a ban on abortions after 20 weeks, except when a pregnancy endangers a woman's life, but vetoed HB 493, a six-week abortion ban. Kasich cited the cost to taxpayers of defending the legislation in court, and the likelihood that the six-week bill would be struck down in federal court as reasons for vetoing the more restrictive bill.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2018, Kasich again vetoed a proposed six-week abortion ban, citing the cost to taxpayers and previous rulings by the federal courts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He did sign a bill into law that bans the dilation and evacuation procedure commonly used for abortion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Climate change, energy, and environment
In a speech in April 2012, Kasich acknowledged that climate change is real and is a problem.<ref name="McHaney"/><ref>Joe Vardon, Kasich breaks ranks, speaks of climate change Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (April 10, 2012).</ref> In the same speech, however, Kasich said that the Environmental Protection Agency should not regulate carbon emissions and that instead states and private companies should be in charge of regulating coal-fired power plant emissions.<ref name="McHaney"/> In 2015, Kasich stated that he did not know all the causes of climate change, and that he did not know the extent to which humans contribute to climate change.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Rachel Leven & Anthony Adragna, Candidate Kasich Says Climate Change Cause Unclear Template:Webarchive, Bloomberg BNA (July 21, 2015).</ref>
In 2014, Kasich signed into law a bill freezing Ohio's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) program for two years.<ref name="RPS">Steven Mufson & Tom Hamburger, Ohio governor signs bill freezing renewable-energy standards Template:Webarchive, Washington Post (June 13, 2014).</ref><ref name="Funk">John Funk, Ohio renewable energy and efficiency rules frozen for two years as Gov. John Kasich signs legislation Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (June 13, 2014).</ref> Ohio's RPS program was created by 2008 legislation and required the state to acquire 12.5 percent of its energy portfolio from renewable sources and to reduce energy consumption by 22 percent by 2025.<ref name="RPS"/> The legislation signed by Kasich to stop the program was supported by Republican legislative leaders, utility companies, and some industry groups, and opposed by environmentalists, some manufacturers, and the American Lung Association.<ref name="RPS"/><ref name="Funk"/> In 2016, Kasich broke with fellow Republicans in the state legislature by vetoing their attempt to continue blocking the RPS standards; as a result, the freeze ended on December 31, 2016, and the clean-energy mandate resumed. This veto won Kasich praise from environmentalist groups, and angered Republicans in the state legislature.<ref>Template:Multiref2</ref>
In his 2015 budget plan, Kasich proposed raising the tax rate on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) activities.<ref name="PelzerFrack">Jeremy Pelzer, Ohio's fracking tax would jump significantly under Gov. John Kasich's budget plan Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (February 2, 2015).</ref> Specifically, Kasich's plan called for imposing a 6.5 percent severance tax on crude oil and natural gas extracted via horizontal drilling and sold at the source (about $3.25 per $50 barrel of oil), and for an additional 4.5 percent tax per thousand cubic feet on natural gas and liquefied natural gas (about $0.16 per thousand cubic feet).<ref name="PelzerFrack"/> The proposal would not affect conventional drilling taxes.<ref name="PelzerFrack"/>
Kasich formerly supported fracking in Ohio state parks and forests, signing legislation in mid-2011 authorizing him to appoint a five-member commission to oversee the leasing of mineral rights on state land to the highest bidders.<ref name="Albrecht">Eric Albrecht, Kasich reverses on fracking in state parks: Legislators call for investigation into ODNR plan Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (February 18, 2014).</ref> In 2012, Kasich aides planned a campaign with a stated goal to "marginalize the effectiveness of communications by adversaries about the initiative" to bring fracking to state parks and forests, naming in an email the Ohio Sierra Club and state Representatives Robert F. Hagan and Nickie Antonio as adversaries of the plan.<ref name="Albrecht"/> Kasich never appointed the commission, and the promotional plan was never put into effect.<ref name="Albrecht"/> A memo and email relating to the 2012 promotional campaign were publicly released for the first time in February 2015, which according to the Columbus Dispatch attracted criticism from state environmental and liberal groups, as well as Democratic state legislators, who called for an investigation.<ref name="Albrecht"/> On the same day the governor reversed himself, with a spokesman saying, "At this point, the governor doesn't support fracking in state parks. We reserve the right to revisit that, but it's not what he wants to do right now, and that's been his position for the past year and a half."<ref name="Albrecht"/>
In April 2015, Kasich signed a bill aimed at protecting Lake Erie's water quality.<ref name="LakeErie">Gov. Kasich signs bill aimed at protecting Lake Erie, Ohio water quality Template:Webarchive, Toledo Blade.</ref><ref name="SeewerErie">John Seewer, Gov. John Kasich signs new rules to help reduce Lake Erie Algae, Associated Press (April 2, 2015). Template:Webarchive</ref> The bill places restrictions on the spread of manure and other fertilizers that contribute to toxic algal blooms and requires large public water treatment plants to monitor phosphorus levels.<ref name="LakeErie"/> The bill had been unanimously approved by both chambers of the Ohio Legislature the previous month.<ref name="LakeErie"/>
Kasich supported the Keystone XL oil pipeline project and, along with other Republican governors, signed an open letter in February 2015 urging federal approval for the project.<ref>Jack Torry, Kasich backs Keystone Pipeline Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (February 12, 2015).</ref> In 2016, in response to a request from South Dakota under the terms of an interstate compact, Kasich dispatched 37 Ohio state troopers to South Dakota, where they were stationed around Dakota Access Pipeline protests near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. This controversial deployment prompted unsuccessful petitions to Kasich from members of the public, Cincinnati City Council members, environmentalists, and some state legislators who asked Kasich to recall the troopers.<ref name="DAPL">Template:Multiref2</ref>
Policing and criminal justice
Prison privatization
To offset a state budget deficit, Kasich proposed selling five state prisons to the for-profit prison industry. The Lake Erie prison was sold for $72.7 million to the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), generating savings of $3 million. Kasich's Director of Corrections, Gary Mohr, whom he had hired in January 2011, had previously worked for CCA, but he said that he removed himself from the sales process. In an audit in October 2012, CCA was cited for 47 contractual violations, and failed a second audit later that year.<ref>Joe Guillen, Private corrections company with ties to government officials will not get special treatment while Ohio sells five prisons, director says Template:Webarchive, The Plain Dealer (March 21, 2013).</ref><ref>Collier Meyerson, Private prisons and the profit motive Template:Webarchive, MSNBC (September 13, 2013).</ref><ref>German Lopez, From the Inside Template:Webarchive, City Beat (May 29, 2013).</ref> In July 2015, the Kasich administration announced its intent to sell the North Central Correctional Institution at Marion, in order to recoup the state's original investment in the facility and invest the proceeds in community-based alternatives to prison.<ref>Jona Ison, Ohio puts Marion prison up for sale Template:Webarchive, Marion Star (July 1, 2015).</ref>
Policing standards
Following the separate fatal police shootings of John Crawford III and Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy in Ohio, while each were holding BB guns,<ref name="Washington Post">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Tamir Rice decision: What the experts are saying Template:Webarchive, cleveland.com, Eric Heisig, December 28, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2015.</ref> grand juries decided not to indict any of the officers involved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following this, Kasich created the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board "to address what he described as frustration and distrust among some Ohioans toward their police departments, particularly among the black community."<ref name="HiggsPoliceBoard"/><ref>Robert Higgs, New task force a step toward easing tensions between citizens, police, John Kasich says Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (December 5, 2014).</ref> The 23-member task force (with 18 members appointed by Kasich) was appointed in January 2015<ref>Kasich appoints members of Community-Police Relations task force, WKYC (January 14, 2015).</ref> and issued its 629-page final report and recommendations in April 2015.<ref name="OhioTaskForceFinalReport">Ohio Task Force on Community-Police Relations Final Report Template:Webarchive (April 29, 2015).</ref><ref name="ClevelandScene">Eric Sandy, State Task Force Publishes Report on Community-Police Relations Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Scene (May 4, 2015).</ref> The report recommended greater accountability and oversight for police agencies and officers, further community education and involvement in policing, and new use-of-force and recruitment, hiring, and training standards for police agencies.
<ref name="OhioTaskForceFinalReport" /><ref name="ClevelandScene" />
In April 2015, Kasich created the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board, a twelve-member board tasked (in conjunction with the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services and the Ohio Department of Public Safety) with developing statewide standards for the recruiting, hiring and screening of police officers, and for the use of force (including deadly force) by police.<ref name="HiggsPoliceBoard">Robert Higgs, John Kasich orders minimum standards for police departments to improve community relations Template:Webarchive, Northeast Ohio Media Group Columbus (April 30, 2015).</ref><ref name="ThompsonPoliceBoard">Chrissie Thompson, Kasich orders rules for use of deadly force Template:Webarchive, Cincinnati Enquirer (April 29, 2015).</ref> The advisory board, the first of its kind in Ohio, was also tasked by Kasich with developing "model policies and best practice recommendations to promote better interaction and communication between law enforcement departments and their home communities."<ref name="HiggsPoliceBoard"/><ref>Tammy Mutasa, Gov. Kasich announces police standards board in wake of shootings: Board is first for state Template:Webarchive, WLWT (April 29, 2015).</ref> In August 2015, the board issued its recommendations, which placed "an emphasis on the preservation of human life and restrict officers to defending themselves or others from death or serious injury."<ref>Mark Gokavi, Ohio adopts first-ever police standards on deadly force Template:Webarchive, Dayton Daily News (August 28, 2015).</ref>
In August 2015, Kasich said that he was open to the idea of requiring police officers to wear body cameras.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Capital punishment
As governor, Kasich presided over the executions of fifteen inmates and commuted the death sentences of seven inmates.<ref name="SmythIssues">Julie Carr Smyth, John Kasich on issues of 2016 campaign, Associated Press (July 22, 2015).</ref><ref name="Clemency">Associated Press, Records show Ohio governor John Kasich uses clemency power infrequently Template:Webarchive (March 23, 2015).</ref> The last execution in Ohio took place in July 2018. In January 2015, Kasich announced that, due to pending litigation and other issues, he was delaying all seven executions scheduled through January 2016.<ref name="SmythIssues"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The delay was largely attributed to European pharmaceutical companies, which have refused to supply the state with deadly drugs necessary for executions.<ref>"Can Europe End the Death Penalty in America?" Template:Webarchive, Matt Ford. The Atlantic. February 18, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2017</ref> In February 2017, Kasich again delayed Ohio executions for an additional three months, after a federal judge ruled that Ohio's three-drug lethal injection protocol is unconstitutional.<ref>Rebecca Hersher, [Ohio Postpones 8 Executions Amidst Legal Challenge To Lethal Injection Procedure], NPR (February 10, 2017).</ref><ref>Jackie Borchardt, Gov. John Kasich pushes back execution dates for 8 Ohio inmates Template:Webarchive, Cleveland.com (February 10, 2017).</ref>
Executive clemency
Kasich used his power of executive clemency sparingly.<ref name="JohnsonClemency">Alan Johnson, Kasich stays conservative with pardons Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (February 11, 2017).</ref> He has the lowest clemency rate of any Ohio governor since at least the 1980s, when records began to be kept.<ref name="Clemency"/> In six years in office, Kasich granted 86 of the 2,291 requests that he acted upon.<ref name="JohnsonClemency"/> In 2016, Kasich granted executive clemency to 13 people; in all of the cases, the Ohio Adult Parole Authority had recommended clemency.<ref name="JohnsonClemency"/>
Criminal justice reform issues
Kasich supports various criminal justice reform efforts; according to conservative Washington Post columnist George Will, Kasich "favors fewer mandatory minimum sentences and has instituted prison policies that prepare inmates for re-integration into communities."<ref>George F. Will, Kasich waits in the wings Template:Webarchive, Washington Post (March 18, 2015).</ref> In 2011, Kasich signed sentencing reform legislation which allowed judges to sentence defendants convicted of non-violent fourth- and fifth-degree felonies to "community-based halfway house facilities" instead of prison; expanded the earned credit system to allow inmates to reduce their sentences; and allowed felons who have already served 80 percent or more of their sentences to be immediately released.<ref>Reginald Fields, Ohio Gov. John Kasich signs sentencing reform bill that favors rehab over prison for non-violent felons Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (June 30, 2011).</ref>
In 2012, Kasich signed into law a bill, sponsored by Cleveland Democratic Senator Shirley Smith and Cincinnati Republican Senator Bill Seitz, easing the collateral consequences of criminal conviction.<ref name="Fields">Reginald Fields, Bill easing collateral sanctions for felons in Ohio will soon be law Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (June 26, 2012).</ref>
In September 2014, Kasich touted the Ohio's prison system's recidivism rate, which is one of the lowest in the nation.<ref name="dispatch.com">Rowland, Darrel (September 10, 2014). "Kasich already looking beyond November election". Template:Webarchive The Columbus Dispatch.</ref> U.S. Senator Rob Portman, a Republican, attributed a drop in Ohio's recidivism rate "to the bipartisan work of the state legislature, Governor Kasich, Ohio's reentry leaders and the success of programs made possible at the federal level by the Second Chance Act," which Portman sponsored.<ref>Gary C. Mohr, Reforming A System: An Inside Perspective on How Ohio Achieved a Record-Low Recidivism Rate Template:Webarchive, Justice Center: Council of State Governments (March 12, 2012).</ref>
In 2015, Kasich proposed a state budget including $61.7 million for addiction treatment services for prisoners.<ref>Ohio Gov John Kasich advocating significant resources devoted to addiction services for prisoners Template:Webarchive, Sentencing Law & Policy Blog (February 7, 2015).</ref>
Drug policy
Kasich initially expressed opposition to medical marijuana in 2012, saying "There's better ways to help people who are in pain."<ref>Chrissie Thompson, Will Ohio legalize marijuana this year? Template:Webarchive, Cincinnati Enquirer (May 23, 2015).</ref> However, in late 2015 and early 2016, Kasich said he was open to the legalization of medical marijuana.<ref>Stephen Grills John Kasich On Pot Legalization Template:Webarchive, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS (November 7, 2015).</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In March 2014, in an effort to address the opioid epidemic, Kasich signed legislation (passed unanimously in both chambers of the state legislature) expanding the availability of naloxone, a lifesaving antidote to opioid overdoses. The measure allowed friends and family members of addicts to obtain access to naloxone and for first responders to carry naloxone.<ref>Cory Shaffer, First responders in Ohio can now carry life-saving heroin overdose antidote Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (March 12, 2014).</ref> In July 2015, Kasich signed legislation further expanding the availability of naloxone, making it available without a prescription.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In a 2015 interview with radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, Kasich said he was opposed to the legalization of recreational marijuana and equated the drug to heroin, stating: "In my state and across this country, if I happened to be president, I would lead a significant campaign down at the grassroots level to stomp these drugs out of our country."<ref>Matt Wilstein, John Kasich Equates Marijuana with Heroin: 'A Scourge in This Country' Template:Webarchive, Mediaite (April 21, 2015).</ref><ref name="Ferner">Template:Cite news</ref>
When Kasich was asked by Hewitt whether, if elected president, he would federally enforce marijuana laws in states which have legalized marijuana, Kasich characterized it as a states' rights issue and said that "I'd have to think about it."<ref name="Ferner"/> When asked the same question later in 2015, Kasich said: "I would try to discourage the states from doing it ... but I would be tempted to say I don't think we can go and start disrupting what they've decided."<ref name="OostingMarijuana">Jonathan Oosting, Marijuana legalization a 'terrible idea,' says GOP presidential hopeful John Kasich Template:Webarchive, MLive (September 2, 2015).</ref>
Kasich opposed Issue 3, an Ohio ballot measure in 2015 that proposed the legalization of recreational marijuana, saying it was a "terrible idea".<ref name="OostingMarijuana"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>John Sharp, Ohio Gov. John Kasich on legalization of marijuana: 'I hope it loses' (video) Template:Webarchive, AL.com (November 3, 2015).</ref>
Economic policy
State budgets and taxation
During Kasich's tenure, the state has eliminated a budget shortfall that his administration has estimated at $8 billion, but which the Cleveland Plain Dealer estimated at closer to $6 billion.<ref>Marshall, Aaron, Ohio's $8 billion budget hole: Was it really that big? Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (May 29, 2011).</ref> (The New York Times put the number at $7.7 billion).<ref name="KaplanNuance">Thomas Kaplan, John Kasich Boasts of Ohio Recovery, but Reality Is More Nuanced Template:Webarchive, New York Times (March 13, 2016).</ref> Ohio also increased its "rainy day fund" from effectively zero to more than $2 billion.<ref>Jacobson, Louis, John Kasich: 'I took the state of Ohio from an $8 billion hole ... to a $2 billion surplus' Template:Webarchive, PolitiFact (August 6, 2015).</ref>
Kasich "closed the budget shortfall in part by cutting aid to local governments, forcing some of them to raise their own taxes or cut services. And increasing sales taxes helped make the income tax cuts possible."<ref name="KaplanNuance"/> An analysis by the Plain Dealer in March 2016 found that more than 70 cities and villages had lost at least $1 million a year due to Kasich's budget and taxation policy.<ref name="KaplanNuance"/>
In March 2008, Kasich called for "phasing out" Ohio's state income tax.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
During Kasich's time as governor, Ohio ranked 22nd out of the 50 states for private-sector job growth, at 9.3%.<ref name="KaplanNuance"/>
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Kasich signed a state budget in 2011 which eliminated the state's estate tax effective January 1, 2013.<ref name="KaplanNuance"/><ref>Higgs, Robert, So-called 'death tax' to perish at year's end Template:Webarchive, PolitiFact (July 24, 2011).</ref>
In 2013, Kasich signed into law a $62 billion two-year state budget.<ref name="Blackwell">Brandon Blackwell, Kasich signs budget, keeps abortion restrictions, leaves door open for Medicaid expansion Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (July 1, 2013).</ref> The budget provided for a 10-percent state income tax cut phased in over three years, and an increase in the state sales tax from 5.5 percent to 5.75 percent. It also included a 50% tax cut for small business owners on the first $250,000 of annual net income.<ref name="Blackwell"/> Kasich used his line-item veto power to reject a measure that would stop the Medicaid expansion (which Kasich had accepted from the federal government) to cover nearly 275,000 working poor Ohioans.<ref name="Blackwell"/>
In 2015, Kasich signed into law a $71 billion two-year state budget after using his line-item veto power to veto 44 items.<ref name="Smyth">Julie Carr Smyth, Kasich signs $71B budget after vetoing 44 items Template:Webarchive, Associated Press (July 1, 2015).</ref> The overall 2015 budget provides a 6.3 percent state income-tax cut as a part one component of a $1.9 billion net tax reduction and lowers the top income-tax rate to slightly below 5 percent.<ref name="Smyth"/> The budget also "spends $955 million more in basic state aid for K-12 schools than the last two-year period"; "boosts state funding for higher education to help offset a two-year tuition freeze at public universities"; expands the Medicaid health program; increases cigarette taxes by 35 cents a pack; and "prohibits independent health care and child care workers under contract with the state from unionizing."<ref name="Smyth"/>
Senate Bill 5 and labor issues
On March 31, 2011, in his first year as governor, Kasich signed into law Senate Bill 5, a controversial labor law which restricted collective bargaining rights of public employees, such as police officers, firefighters, and teachers.<ref name="HiggsSB5">Robert Higgs, Kasich-O-Meter: Revamp the state's collective bargaining law for public employees Template:Webarchive, PolitiFact (March 5, 2013).</ref><ref name="SB6StateImpact">Ohio's SB 5, Explained, StateImpact/NPR (retrieved September 13, 2015). Template:Webarchive</ref> The legislation, championed by Kasich,<ref name="ProvanceSB5">Jim Provance, Kasich accepts defeat of Issue 2 Template:Webarchive, Toledo Blade (November 8, 2015).</ref> prohibited all public employees from striking and restricted their ability to negotiate health care and pension benefits.<ref name="HiggsSB5"/><ref name="SB6StateImpact"/> The final version of the legislation signed by Kasich had passed the state Senate in a 17–16 vote (with six Senate Republicans joining all of the Senate Democrats in voting no) and the state House in a 53–44 vote, with two members abstaining.<ref name=CNN033011>CNN, Bill restricting public-sector unions passes in Ohio Template:Webarchive (March 30, 2011).</ref>
Democrats and labor unions opposed the legislation and placed a referendum on the November 2011 ballot to repeal SB 5.<ref name="HiggsSB5"/> SB 5 also "sparked numerous protests with thousands of union workers and other opponents descending on the Statehouse, mirroring similar demonstrations in Wisconsin and injecting Ohio into the national debate over Republican governors' attempts to curb public workers' collective bargaining rights."<ref name="GuillenSB5">Joe Guillen, What's really in Senate Bill 5? Clearing up the rumors, misinformation surrounding collective bargaining overhaul Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (March 20, 2011).</ref> Kasich and other supporters of SB 5 characterized the legislation as a necessary measure "to help public employers control labor costs" and reduce tax burdens to make Ohio more competitive with other states, while labor unions and other opponents characterized the bill as "a union-busting attack on the middle class."<ref name="GuillenSB5"/>
Ohio voters rejected Senate Bill 5 in a 61 percent to 39 percent vote, which was viewed as a rebuke to Kasich.<ref name="HiggsSB5"/><ref name="SB6StateImpact"/><ref name="FieldAB5">Reginald Field, Ohio voters overwhelmingly reject Issue 2, dealing a blow to Gov. John Kasich Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (November 10, 2011).</ref> On election night, Kasich said in a speech at the Ohio Statehouse that "It's clear the people have spoken. I heard their voices. I understand their decision. And frankly, I respect what the people have to say in an effort like this."<ref name="HiggsSB5"/><ref name="FieldAB5"/> Following this defeat, Kasich dropped efforts to pass broad-based collective bargaining restrictions, although in 2012 he supported a bill including "provisions reminiscent of Senate Bill 5" but applying only to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.<ref name="HiggsSB5"/>
In May 2015, Kasich rescinded executive orders issued by his predecessor Ted Strickland in 2007 and 2008 that provided the right to home health care contractors and in-home child care contractors to collectively bargain with the state.<ref>Michelle Everhart, Gov. John Kasich rescinds orders allowing collective bargaining for care workers Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (May 22, 2015).</ref>
Balanced budget amendment
Kasich has campaigned for a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.<ref>Janet Hook, Will Kasich's Balanced Budget Tour Lead Him to White House? Template:Webarchive, Wall Street Journal (January 23, 2015).</ref> Kasich created a 501(c)(4) group, Balanced Budget Forever, to promote the cause.<ref>James Hohmann, John Kasich's crusade: Behind the potential 2016 candidate's long-shot bid for a balanced budget amendment , Politico (December 14, 2014).</ref>
Free trade
Kasich said in 2016 that "I have never been an ideological supporter of free trade," but has long supported free trade agreements. He is a strong supporter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and participated with others in a meeting with President Obama in support of the agreement.<ref>Eric Bradner & Eugene Scott, Kasich meets with Obama to discuss TPP Template:Webarchive, CNN (September 16, 2016).</ref>
Civil liberties and electronic surveillance
In speaking in the 2016 campaign on domestic surveillance, Kasich has "straddled the line," praising Rand Paul for saying that "we need to get warrants," but also saying "if there's information they need, the government needs to get it."<ref name="JaffeForeignPolicy">Alex Jaffe, Kasich outlines iron fist, velvet glove foreign policy doctrine in South Carolina Template:Webarchive, MSNBC (August 18, 2015).</ref> Kasich has said there needs to be "a balance between good intelligence and the need to protect Americans from what can become an aggressive government somewhere down the road."<ref>John Kasich on the N.S.A. Template:Webarchive, New York Times (June 4, 2015).</ref>
On one occasion, Kasich spoke out against proposals to mandate that technology companies provide a "backdoor" for the government to access encrypted devices, saying that this could end up aiding hackers.<ref>Ross Barkan, Kasich Warns Giving Government a Backdoor to Encrypted Phones Could Help Hackers Template:Webarchive, New York Observer (December 9, 2015).</ref> On a subsequent occasion, Kasich said that encryption was dangerous because it could stymie government antiterrorism investigations.<ref>Andrea Peterson, Kasich doesn't understand how the tech that keeps you safe online works Template:Webarchive, Washington Post (December 16, 2015).</ref>
Kasich has condemned whistleblower Edward Snowden as a traitor.<ref name="JaffeForeignPolicy"/>
Education
Kasich proposed new legislation which would increase funding to charter schools and poor school districts.<ref name=McHaney/> He canceled the school-funding formula put into place by his Democratic predecessor, Governor Ted Strickland.<ref>Aaron Marshall, Kasich-O-Meter: Scrap Gov. Ted Strickland's evidence-based school funding model Template:Webarchive, Politifact (June 28, 2012).</ref>
During Kasich's tenure as governor, he pushed to expand charter schools, increase the number of school vouchers that use public money to pay for tuition at private schools, implement a "merit pay" scheme for teachers, and evaluate teachers by student standardized test scores in math and reading.<ref name="Strauss">Valerie Strauss, What Ohio Gov. John Kasich is doing to public education in his state Template:Webarchive, Washington Post (July 20, 2015).</ref> Kasich supports the Common Core State Standards and has criticized Republicans who turned against it.<ref name="Strauss"/>
During Kasich's tenure, funding for traditional public schools declined by about $500 million, while funding for charter schools has increased at least 27 percent.<ref name="Strauss"/> As calculated by the Howard Fleeter/Education Tax Policy Institute, total school funding under Kasich (including both charter and district schools) has ranged from a low of $7.1 billion in fiscal year 2013 to $7.8 billion in fiscal year 2015, which was higher than its previous peak under Kasich's predecessor, Ted Strickland.<ref name="EdFunding">What has Gov. John Kasich really done to school funding in Ohio? Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (March 24, 2015).</ref> As calculated by the Howard Fleeter/Education Tax Policy Institute, Kasich has proposed total school funding of $8.0 billion in fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2017.<ref name="EdFunding"/> The Ohio Department of Education—which includes more spending areas than Fleeter's does and so reports higher numbers<ref name="EdFunding"/>—projects total school funding for Ohio schools to rise to slightly under $10.5 billion by the end of fiscal year 2017.<ref>Overview of School Funding Template:Webarchive, Ohio Department of Education (March 1, 2016).</ref>
Analysts disagree "on whether Kasich's education budgets give increases beyond inflation."<ref name="EdFunding"/> In the 2015 state budget, Kasich used his line-item veto power "to cut more than $84 million of funding from public schools."<ref name="McHaney">Sarah McHaney, What does John Kasich believe? Where the candidate stands on 10 issues , PBS (July 21, 2015).</ref>
According to a September 2014 story in the Columbus Dispatch, Kasich favored allowing public school districts "to teach alternatives to evolution—such as intelligent design—if local school officials want to, under the philosophy of 'local control.'"<ref>Darrel Rowland, Kasich, FitzGerald at odds on hot-button issues Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (September 28, 2014).</ref>
In 2011, Kasich had the idea of establishing a Holocaust memorial on the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse. Kasich successfully secured approval of the proposal from the Capital Square Review and Advisory Board. The $2 million Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial, designed by Daniel Libeskind, is located across from the Ohio Theatre; the memorial was dedicated in 2014.<ref>Alan Johnson, Holocaust memorial at Statehouse speaks for victims, survivors, liberators Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (June 1, 2014).</ref><ref>Carlo Wolff, 1,500 attend dedication of Ohio Holocaust Memorial Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Jewish News (June 2, 2014).</ref>
Foreign and defense policy
In November 2002, Kasich urged the invasion of Iraq, telling a crowd of students at Ohio State University: "We should go to war with Iraq. It's not likely that (Saddam) Hussein will give up his weapons. If he did he would be disgraced in the Arab world."<ref name="Bradner">Eric Bradner, Kasich revises history on Iraq war Template:Webarchive, CNN (August 16, 2015).</ref>
In an interview in August 2015, Kasich said: "I would never have committed ourselves to Iraq."<ref name="Bradner"/> A Kasich spokesman subsequently said that "Kasich was not revising history" but was instead saying that the Iraq War was a mistake given the facts available now.<ref name="Bradner"/>
Kasich has said that the U.S. "should've left a base in Iraq" instead of withdrawing troops in 2011.<ref name="ForeignPolicyRowland"/><ref name="Bradner"/>
In 2015, Kasich said that airstrikes were insufficient to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and he would send U.S. ground troops to fight ISIL.<ref name="Boots">Alexandra Jaffe, Kasich: Boots on the ground necessary to defeat ISIS Template:Webarchive, CNN (February 20, 2015).</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Kasich opposed the landmark 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran,<ref name="ForeignPolicyRowland"/> and in September 2015 was one of fourteen Republican governors who sent a letter to President Obama stating "that we intend to ensure that the various state-level sanctions [against Iran] that are now in effect remain in effect," despite the agreement.<ref>Deirdre Shesgreen & Ledyard King, Kasich: Ohio to keep sanctions against Iran Template:Webarchive, Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum (September 9, 2015).</ref>
Kasich has expressed support for the U.S.'s drone program.<ref name="JaffeForeignPolicy"/> He has said, however, that the program should be overseen by the Department of Defense, and not by the CIA.<ref name="ForeignPolicyRowland"/>
Kasich has said that he wants to lift budget sequestration for military spending, and "spend more if necessary."<ref>Alexandra Jaffe, Kasich: Boost Defense Spending With Reforms, Lose Sequestration Template:Webarchive, NBC News (August 31, 2015).</ref>
In November 2015, Kasich said that if elected president, he "would send a carrier battle group through the South China Sea" to send a message to China regarding their claims of sovereignty there.<ref name="JaffeForeignPolicy"/>
Kasich supports continued U.S. support of Saudi Arabia, but he criticized Saudi Arabia's "funding and teaching of radical clerics who are the very people who try to destroy us".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Kasich favors strong relations between the U.S. and its NATO allies.<ref name="KasichNATO">John R. Kasich, Reject False Prophets. Protect Our Allies, Time (January 12, 2017).</ref> He supported Senator John McCain's call for maintaining existing U.S. sanctions on Russia, and condemned the Trump administration's consideration of lifting sanctions.<ref>Jack Torry, Portman, McCain, Kasich slam talk of lifting Russian sanctions Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (January 27, 2017).</ref> Like McCain, Kasich supports imposing "tougher sanctions against Russia and Putin's inner circle."<ref name="KasichNATO"/> He supports a bipartisan investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.<ref>Kasich Weighs in on Trump's First Month Template:Webarchive, Columbus Underground (February 20, 2017).</ref>
LGBT rights
By the mid-2010s, Kasich had shown much more support for LGBT rights than many of his Republican counterparts. However, during his time in Congress, Kasich was much less accepting, and voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred federal recognition of same-sex marriage.<ref name="Schulberg">Template:Cite news</ref> During this period, Kasich supported a ban on same-sex marriage in Ohio and stated that he did not approve of the "gay lifestyle."<ref name="Schulberg"/> As governor of Ohio, Kasich signed an executive order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation for state employees; this was more narrow than the previous executive order signed by his predecessor because it omitted protections for gender identity.<ref>Alan Johnson, Kasich alters order on work rights Template:Webarchive, The Columbus Dispatch (January 22, 2011).</ref>
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Kasich struck a more moderate tone compared to his Republican opponents. In June 2015, following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that there is a fundamental right to same-sex marriage under the Fourteenth Amendment, Kasich said that he was "obviously disappointed"<ref name="HRC">John Kasich: An 'Obviously Disappointed' Record On Equality Template:Webarchive, Human Rights Campaign (July 21, 2015).</ref><ref>Gov. John Kasich responds to gay marriage ruling Template:Webarchive (video), Dayton Daily News (June 26, 2015).</ref> and that he believes in "traditional marriage,"<ref name="Torry">Jack Torry, Gov. John Kasich says 'it's time to move on' from same-sex marriage ruling Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (June 28, 2015).</ref> but that the ruling was "the law of the land and we'll abide by it" and that it was "time to move on" to other issues.<ref name="Torry"/> During his time as Ohio governor, Kasich appointed Richard Hodges as Ohio Director of Health, who was the lead-respondent in the case.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Kasich indicated that he did not support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to overturn the decision.<ref name="Torry" /> In response to a debate question about how he would explain his position on same-sex marriage to one of his daughters if she were gay, Kasich responded, "The court has ruled, and I said we'll accept it. And guess what, I just went to a wedding of a friend of mine who happens to be gay. Because somebody doesn't think the way I do doesn't mean that I can't care about them or can't love them. So if one of my daughters happened to be that, of course I would love them and I would accept them. Because you know what? That's what we're taught when we have strong faith."<ref>Gov. John Kasich scores political points on gay marriage without embracing it Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (August 13, 2015).</ref>
In September 2015, Kasich commented on the highly publicized case of Kim Davis (the Rowan County, Kentucky clerk who refused to comply with a federal court order directing her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples), saying: "Now, I respect the fact that this lady doesn't agree but she's also a government employee, she's not running a church, I wouldn't force this on a church. But in terms of her responsibility I think she has to comply. I don't think — I don't like the fact that she's sitting in a jail, that's absurd as well. But I think she should follow the law."<ref>Kate Davidson & Andrew Ackerman, John Kasich Says Kentucky Clerk Should Follow Law on Gay Marriage Template:Webarchive, Wall Street Journal (September 6, 2015).</ref>
In a March 2018 interview on The Rubin Report, Kasich passively came out in support of same-sex marriage saying "I'm fine with it," but stated that he now preferred to show himself as someone in the "Billy Graham tradition" that "avoided social issues".<ref>Reaction to Sears Catalog philosopher John Kasich on The Rubin Report from an Ohioan. Template:Webarchive Hard News By Razor Ray McCoy - March 30, 2018</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In December 2018, Kasich signed an executive order extending non-discrimination protections for gender identity, including trans and non-binary identities, to state employees in Ohio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Gun policy
While in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kasich had a mixed record on gun policy.<ref name="FriedmanTrace">Dan Friedman, How John Kasich Flipped a Mixed Gun Voting Record into an 'A' Grade from the NRA Template:Webarchive, The Trace (February 5, 2016).</ref> He was one of 215 Representatives to vote for the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which became law in 1994, but voted against the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act ("Brady Bill"), which established current background check laws.<ref name="FriedmanTrace"/>
As governor, Kasich shifted to more pro-gun positions.<ref name="FriedmanTrace"/> In 2011, he signed one bill permitting concealed handguns in bars and another making it easier for people with misdemeanor drug convictions to purchase guns.<ref name="FriedmanTrace"/> In 2012, Kasich signed a bill allowing gun owners to transport weapons with loaded magazines in their vehicles and expanding concealed carry permit reciprocity.<ref name="FriedmanTrace"/> In December 2014, Kasich signed legislation that reduced the numbers of hours of training required to obtain a concealed carry permit and eliminated the training requirement for permit renewals.<ref name="FriedmanTrace"/>
After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February 2018, Kasich called for restrictions on the sales of AR-15 style rifles.<ref name=nbc20180218>Template:Cite news</ref>
Health care
Kasich opted to accept Medicaid-expansion funding provided by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or "Obamacare") in Ohio.<ref>Benen, Steve. Ohio's Kasich expands healthcare access through Obamacare Template:Webarchive, MSNBC (October 22, 2013).</ref><ref name="Bradner1">Eric Bradner, Kasich in interview: Obamacare here to stay Template:Webarchive, CNN (October 21, 2014).</ref><ref>Daniel Skinner, Medicaid in Ohio: The Politics of Expansion, Reauthorization, and Reform Template:Webarchive, Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law (October 7, 2015), doi:10.1215/03616878-3424647.</ref> This decision angered many Statehouse Republicans, who wanted Kasich to reject the expansion.<ref name="Bradner1"/><ref>Domenico Montanaro, Ohio Republican Gov. Kasich On Expanding Medicaid: 'It's My Money' Template:Webarchive, NPR (May 1, 2015).</ref>
Total spending on Medicaid by the state was almost $2 billion (or 7.6 percent) below estimates for the fiscal year ending in June 2015, according to a report by Kasich's administration. The lower-than-expected costs were attributed to expanded managed care, shorter nursing home stays and increased in-home care for seniors, capitated reimbursement policies, increased automation to determine eligibility for the program and pay care providers, and an improving economy in the state which allowed some participants to move out of the program.<ref>Catherine Candisky, Ohio's Medicaid costs $2 billion less than estimates Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (August 13, 2015).</ref>
In an October 2014 interview, Kasich said that repeal of the ACA was "not gonna happen" and stated that "The opposition to it was really either political or ideological. I don't think that holds water against real flesh and blood, and real improvements in people's lives."<ref name="Bradner1"/> Kasich later said that he was referring solely to the law's Medicaid expansion, and that "my position is that we need to repeal and replace" the rest of the law.<ref name="Bradner1"/><ref name="LoBianco">Tom LoBianco, Kasich says he's not an Obamacare hypocrite Template:Webarchive, CNN (May 27, 2015).</ref> In 2015, Kasich expressed support for many provisions of the ACA (ensuring coverage for people with preexisting conditions, the use of insurance exchanges, and Medicaid expansion), but opposed mandates.<ref>Chrissie Thompson, Kasich-care: Priorities like Obamacare, without mandates, Cincinnati Enquirer (August 16, 2015).</ref>
In 2017, after Donald Trump took office and congressional Republicans maneuvered to repeal the ACA, Kasich criticized Republican hard-liners in Congress who demanded a full ACA repeal, saying that full repeal was "not acceptable" when 20 million people gained insurance under the ACA and that doing so would be a "political impossibility." Kasich urged that the Medicaid expansion be preserved in some form, criticizing the House Republican legislation that would cut the Medicaid expansion and phase out health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans.<ref>Template:Multiref2</ref> Kasich said that the nation's "soul" was at stake if Republicans passed legislation that left millions without health insurance.<ref>Carl Weiser, John Kasich: Nation's 'soul' at stake in Obamacare repeal Template:Webarchive, Cincinnati Enquirer (March 13, 2017).</ref> After the failure of the House Republican health-care legislation, Kasich met in Washington with members of the Republican Tuesday Group and urged fellow Republicans to work with Democrats to make more modest changes to the Affordable Care Act.<ref>Jessica Wehrman, Talk to Democrats about health care, Kasich urges GOP Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (March 28, 2017).</ref> In May 2017, Kasich said that the version of the Republican health care bill that passed the House was "inadequate" and would harm patients; Kasich said that Republicans "should've worked with the Democrats" on the bill rather than passing legislation merely to fulfill a campaign pledge.<ref>Jennifer Calfas, John Kasich Says GOP Health Care Bill Is 'Inadequate', Time (May 7, 2017).</ref>
In June 2017, Kasich said that he didn't "have a problem" with gradually phasing out the ACA's expansion of Medicaid over a seven-year period, but only if Congress provided states with significantly more, more than the House Republican bill provided for, and only if Congress granted states more authority to manage the program.<ref name="Pear">Robert Pear, John Kasich Backs Slow Medicaid Rollback, but With More Money Template:Webarchive, New York Times (June 12, 2017).</ref> Along with three other Republican governors (Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Brian Sandoval of Nevada, and Rick Snyder of Michigan), Kasich signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with an outline of their wishes for a health care bill. Kasich and the others specifically called upon Congress to "end the requirement that state Medicaid programs cover nearly every prescription drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration."<ref name="Pear"/> Kasich and the other governors' views were seen as influential, because their states have Republican senators and the Republicans have only a narrow majority in the Senate.<ref name="Pear"/>
Immigration and refugees
In 2010, while running for governor, Kasich expressed support for amending the U.S. Constitution to abolish the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of jus soli (birthright) citizenship for people born in the United States.<ref name="RowlandEvolved"/><ref name="SussmanBacks"/> Kasich also told the Columbus Dispatch at the time that "One thing that I don't want to reward is illegal immigration."<ref name="RowlandEvolved"/>
In 2014, Kasich acknowledged that his stance on immigration has "evolved" because "maybe [I'm] a little smarter now", stating "I don't want to see anybody in pain. So I guess when I look at this now, I look at it differently than I did in '10. ... When I look at a group of people who might be hiding, who may be afraid, who may be scared, who have children, I don't want to be in a position of where I make it worse for them."<ref name="RowlandEvolved"/> That year, Kasich expressed openness to a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, saying at a Republican Governors Association (RGA) meeting in Florida, "I don't like the idea of citizenship when people jump the line, [but] we may have to do it."<ref name="SussmanBacks">Anna Louie Sussman, Kasich Backs Path to Legal Status for Undocumented Immigrants Template:Webarchive, Wall Street Journal (August 9, 2015).</ref> Kasich was the only governor at the RGA conference "to express openly a willingness to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants."<ref name="RowlandEvolved">Darrel Rowland, Kasich's immigration views 'evolved' Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (November 21, 2014).</ref>
In August 2015, while running for president, Kasich called for a path to legal status (but not necessarily citizenship) for undocumented immigrants and for a guest worker program.<ref name="SussmanBacks"/><ref name="Face the Nation August 2015">Kasich supports a path to legal status for those in country illegally; Trump says they 'have to go' Template:Webarchive, Los Angeles Times (August 16, 2015).</ref> Kasich also appeared to disavow his earlier stance against birthright citizenship, stating "I don't think we need to go there"; called for completion of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border; and noted that undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as young children may obtain driver's licenses in Ohio.<ref name="SussmanBacks"/><ref name="Face the Nation August 2015"/>
In October 2015, Kasich criticized Donald Trump's "plan to build a wall along the Mexican border and remove immigrants who entered the United States illegally", calling these notions "just crazy".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In September 2015, Kasich said that the U.S. had a moral responsibility to accept refugees fleeing war and violence in Syria. Subsequently, however, Kasich moved to the right, and in November 2015 wrote a letter to President Obama asking that no additional Syrian refugees be resettled in Ohio.<ref>Alan Rappeport, John Kasich Shifts His Stand on Accepting Refugees Template:Webarchive, New York Times (November 17, 2015).</ref> Kasich opposed Trump's executive order on travel and immigration, which Trump signed one week after taking office in January 2017. Kasich said that the order was "ham-handed" because it "sowed so much confusion" and "sent a message that somehow the United States was looking sideways at Muslims".<ref name="CostaEO">Template:Cite web</ref>
Lieutenant governor
Kasich has a "long-standing political partnership" with his lieutenant governor, Mary Taylor.<ref name="GomezTaylor">Henry J. Gomez, Ohio Gov. John Kasich's allies ponder whether to punish Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor for political snub Template:Webarchive, Cleveland.com (January 26, 2017).</ref> In 2014, Kasich defended Taylor after her chief of staff, and that chief of staff's administrative assistant, resigned following a timesheet probe.<ref name="Kasler">Karen Kasler, Kasich Defends Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor after Resignation of Two Staffers Template:Webarchive, Ideastream (WVIZ/WCRN) (June 16, 2014).</ref><ref name="Letizia">Jim Letizia, Kasich Defends Taylor in Timesheet Probe Template:Webarchive, Ohio Public Radio (June 17, 2014).</ref> Kasich said of Taylor's handling of the matter: "Mary did the right thing and I support her."<ref name="Letizia"/>
In 2017, the Kasich-Taylor relationship frayed after Taylor abandoned Kasich ally Matt Borges in his bid for chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, and instead chose to support Jane Timken, who was actively supported by Donald Trump,<ref name="GomezTaylor"/><ref>Paul Orlousky, Leak suggests Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor 'double-crossed' Ohio Gov. John Kasich, WOIO (January 26, 2017).</ref> who sought revenge against Kasich for his choice not to endorse Trump.<ref>Trump gets revenge, helps oust Kasich loyalist from Ohio GOP post, Fox News (January 10, 2017).</ref> Nevertheless, Kasich indicated that Taylor had "been a good partner" over his term and indicated that he would support her if she chose to run for governor in 2018.<ref>Laura A. Bischoff, Kasich says he backs Taylor for governor in '18 Template:Webarchive, Dayton Daily News (February 10, 2017).</ref>
Racial diversity in Cabinet
Upon taking office in 2011, Kasich received criticism for appointing an initial all-white cabinet of 22 members.<ref name="Kuntz">John Kuntz, The race of Gov. John Kasich's all-white Cabinet only matters if he fails to create jobs: Phillip Morris Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (January 21, 2011).</ref> Responding to criticism for not appointing any black, Hispanic, or Asian Cabinet members, Kasich said: "I don't look at things from the standpoint of any of these sorts of metrics that people tend to focus on, race or age, or any of those things. It's not the way I look at things... I want the best possible team I can get."<ref name="Kuntz"/> Shortly afterward, on February 2, 2011, Kasich made his first minority appointment to the Cabinet, naming Michael Colbert, a black man, to lead the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.<ref>Aaron Marshall, Gov. John Kasich makes first minority appointment to his Cabinet Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (February 2, 2011).</ref>
Template:As of, four members of Kasich's Cabinet were members of racial minorities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transportation
Throughout his first gubernatorial campaign, Kasich opposed the Ohio Hub higher-speed passenger rail project (a proposed 258-mile Cleveland-to-Cincinnati train) and promised to cancel it, claiming that it would average speeds of merely 36 mph.<ref name="Higgs">Robert Higgs, Kasich successful in halting $400-million, high-speed rail project Template:Webarchive, Politifact (January 10, 2011).</ref> In his first press conference following his election victory, Kasich declared "That train is dead...I said it during the campaign: It is dead."<ref>"Not So Fast: Future For High-Speed Rail Uncertain" Template:Webarchive, David Schaper. NPR. November 12, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2017</ref>
As governor-elect, Kasich lobbied the federal government to use $400 million in federal dollars allocated for high-speed rail for freight rail projects instead.<ref name="Higgs"/><ref name="HSR">Lisa Lambert, Tensions with states grow over high speed rail Template:Webarchive, Reuters (November 10, 2010).</ref> In a November 2010 letter to Kasich, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote that the federal funding was specifically allocated by the 2009 economic stimulus act for high-speed rail, and could not be used for other purposes.<ref name="HSR"/> In a December 2010 meeting with President Barack Obama, Kasich again unsuccessfully lobbied to use the grant money for freight rail rather than high-speed rail.<ref>Jack Torry & Mark Niquette, Kasich pitches his $400M rail plan to Obama Template:Webarchive, Dayton Daily News (December 3, 2010).</ref>
In December 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Ohio would lose the $385 million in grant funds allocated for high-speed passenger rail, since Kasich had informed them that he had no intention of ever building high-speed rail projects.<ref name="Koff">Stephen Koff, Feds to Ohio: Your high-speed rail project is officially dead (and New York thanks you) Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (December 10, 2010).</ref> (Almost $15 million had already been spent for preliminary engineering.<ref name="Higgs"/>) The $385 million was instead diverted to other states, such as California, New York, and Florida, which planned high-speed rail using the grant money for its congressionally intended purpose.<ref name="Higgs"/><ref name="Koff"/> Outgoing governor Ted Strickland, who championed the project, expressed disappointment, saying that the loss of funding for the project was "one of the saddest days during my four years as governor" and that "I can't understand the logic of giving up these vital, job-creating resources to California and Florida at a time when so many Ohioans need jobs."<ref name="Higgs"/><ref name="Koff"/>
Kasich is an opponent of the Cincinnati Streetcar project.<ref>Joe Wessels, Cincinnati streetcar state funding nixed by Ohio agency Template:Webarchive, Reuters (April 12, 2011).</ref><ref>Kasich: Can't 'justify' streetcar money Template:Webarchive, Cincinnati Enquirer (March 11, 2011).</ref>
In April 2015, Kasich signed a two-year transportation budget bill which allocated $7.06 billion for highway construction and maintenance, $600 million to local governments for road and bridge projects, and an additional million over the last budget for public transportation.<ref>Robert Higgs, John Kasich signs transportation budget that targets billions for roadwork, bolsters driver safety (video) Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (April 1, 2015).</ref>
Voting rights
In February 2014, Kasich signed into law a bill which cut six days from Ohio's early voting period, including the "golden week" (a period at the beginning of early voting when voters could both register to vote and cast an in-person absentee ballot).<ref name="Higgs1">Robert Higgs, Kasich signs voting bills that end Golden Week and limit distribution of absentee ballots Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (February 21, 2014).</ref><ref name="Roth 2014">Zachary Roth, Kasich to sign restrictive Ohio voting bills Template:Webarchive, MSNBC (February 21, 2015).</ref> The measures were hotly contested in the state legislature,<ref name="Higgs1"/> passing on a party-line vote, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.<ref>Reid Wilson, Ohio Republicans move to curb early, absentee voting Template:Webarchive, Washington Post (February 20, 2014).</ref> This measure prompted two federal lawsuits.<ref name="Higgs New Suit">Robert Higgs, New federal lawsuit targets changes in Ohio voting laws Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (May 11, 2015).</ref> The first lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio on behalf of the NAACP and League of Women Voters of Ohio, resulted in a settlement in April 2015, in which the state agreed to provide evening and Sunday hours for early voting in elections in Ohio through 2018.<ref>Robert Higgs, ACLU, Secretary of State Jon Husted settle federal lawsuit over access to early voting in Ohio Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (April 20, 2015).</ref> The second lawsuit, Ohio Democratic Party v. Husted, was brought in May 2015 by Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias; plaintiffs argued that the Ohio bill eliminating "golden week" violated the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act because it disproportionately burdened black, Latino and young voters. The federal district court agreed and struck down the legislation, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed that decision in a 2–1 vote, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.<ref>Template:Multiref2</ref> In July 2015, Kasich said that it was "pure demagoguery" for Hillary Clinton to "say that there are Republicans who are deliberately trying to keep people from voting."<ref>Darrel Rowland, Hillary Clinton draws ire of John Kasich on voting Template:Webarchive, Columbus Dispatch (June 6, 2015).</ref>
In April 2015, Kasich used his line-item veto power to veto a provision added to a highway-budget bill by Republicans in the state legislature that would have required college students who register to vote in Ohio to obtain a state driver's license and vehicle registration, imposing an estimated $75 in motor vehicle costs on out-of-state college students who wanted to vote in the state.<ref name="Roth 2015">Zachary Roth, John Kasich blocks GOP scheme to target student voting Template:Webarchive, MSNBC (April 2, 2015).</ref><ref name="Thompson">Chrissie Thompson, Kasich vetoes GOP's college-voting provision Template:Webarchive, Cincinnati Enquirer (May 13, 2015).</ref><ref name="CollegeVetoEditorial">Editorial: Gov. John Kasich's veto of college-voting restriction does the right thing for Ohio Template:Webarchive, Cleveland Plain Dealer (April 3, 2015).</ref> The veto was celebrated by voting rights advocates, Ohio Democrats, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial board, which viewed the proposal as effectively a "poll tax" motivated by a partisan desire to limit college-town voting.<ref name="Roth 2015"/><ref name="Thompson"/><ref name="CollegeVetoEditorial"/>
Judicial appointments
In Ohio, justices of the Ohio Supreme Court are elected, but the governor can fill unexpired terms. In May 2012, Ohio Supreme Court Associate Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton announced she would retire at the end of 2012.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In December 2012, Kasich appointed Judge Judith L. French to Stratton's unexpired term, which ran from January 1, 2013, through January 1, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Impeachment of Donald Trump
On October 18, 2019, Kasich publicly stated that Donald Trump should be impeached. He had previously said there was not enough evidence to impeach the President.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2016 presidential campaign
In April 2015, Kasich announced the formation of his "New Day For America" group. Formerly a 527 group, it filed as a super PAC in July 2015.<ref name="StraussPAC">Daniel Strauss, John Kasich super PAC raises more than $11 million , Politico (July 31, 2015).</ref> Between April 20 and June 30, 2015, the super PAC raised over $11.1 million from 165 "reportable contributions," including 34 contributions of $100,000 or more.<ref name="StraussPAC"/> Major contributors to the PAC include Floyd Kvamme, who donated $100,000, and Jim Dicke, chairman emeritus of Crown Equipment Corporation, who donated $250,000.<ref name="StraussPAC"/> According to FEC filings, Kasich's campaign had $2.5 million on hand at the beginning of 2016.<ref>Jeremy Fugleberg, Kasich campaign warchest: $2.5 million Template:Webarchive, Cincinnati Enquirer (February 1, 2016).</ref>
In May 2015, sources close to him had said he was "virtually certain" to run for the Republican nomination for president.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On July 21, 2015, Kasich announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination during a speech at the Ohio Union, the student union of his alma mater, the Ohio State University.<ref name="catch-up">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On January 30, 2016, the New York Times endorsed Kasich for the Republican nomination. The Times editorial board strongly rebuked leading candidates Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz and wrote that Kasich, "though a distinct underdog, is the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of the extremism and inexperience on display in this race."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On the campaign trail, Kasich sought to project a sunny, optimistic message, describing himself as "the prince of light and hope."<ref>Thomas Kaplan, With Calm and Experience, John Kasich Connects in New Hampshire Template:Webarchive, New York Times (January 22, 2016).</ref><ref>Robert Costa, Ohio Gov. John Kasich heads to early primary state of South Carolina Template:Webarchive, Washington Post (February 11, 2015).</ref> This marked a change in tone for Kasich, who had developed a reputation as an abrasive governor.<ref>Erick Trickey, How Mean Old John Kasich Became Mr. Nice: Ohio's famously abrasive governor ditches the tough talk to convince New Hampshire voters he's the anti-Trump , Politico Magazine (February 3, 2016).</ref> Viewed as a long-shot contender, Kasich took an "above-the-fray approach to his rivals" and "ran unapologetically as a candidate with experience" even as others ran as "outsider" contenders.<ref name="EndsCampaign">Template:Cite news</ref>
Kasich came in second place in the New Hampshire primary on February 9, 2016, behind winner Trump. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that this was "the best possible result" for Kasich and lent "credence to the notion that he can emerge" as a Republican alternative to Trump and Cruz.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ultimately, however, Kasich's message "never caught on in a campaign that ... exposed the anger and frustration coursing through the electorate" and he "found himself stuck in fourth place in a three-man race, trailing Senator Marco Rubio of Florida in the delegate count" although Rubio had dropped out of the race in March.<ref name="EndsCampaign"/>
The only state won by Kasich was his home state of Ohio,<ref name="EndsCampaign"/> which gave him 66 delegates in its March 2016 winner-take-all primary but still left him with "a steep delegate deficit against his rivals."<ref>Alan Rappeport, John Kasich Wins Ohio, His Home State Template:Webarchive, New York Times (March 15, 2016).</ref> Kasich's unsuccessful campaign strategy hinged on the possibility of a contested (or brokered) Republican National Convention, in which no single candidate has enough delegates to win the nomination on the first ballot, something that has not happened in either of the two major parties' presidential nominating conventions since 1952.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kasich suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on May 4, 2016, one day after Trump won the Republican primary in Indiana. The third remaining contender, Cruz, quit the race shortly before Kasich did, leaving Trump as the only candidate remaining in the Republican field and hence the party's presumptive nominee.<ref name="EndsCampaign"/>
A 2018 study on media coverage of the 2016 election noted "the paradox of the Kasich campaign's longevity while it lacked public interest provides some evidence for the idea that Kasich's biggest supporters were the media".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Aftermath
Following his withdrawal from the race, Kasich did not extend his support to Trump. In May and June 2016, Kasich said that Trump was a divisive figure rather than a "unifier," said he had no plans to endorse Trump in the near future, and ruled out the possibility of seeking the Vice Presidency as Trump's running mate.<ref>Chrissie Thompson, John Kasich 'undecided' on backing Donald Trump, won't serve as VP Template:Webarchive, Cincinnati Enquirer (May 17, 2016).</ref><ref>Eliza Collins, Kasich still not endorsing Trump, won't be his VP Template:Webarchive, USA Today (June 9, 2016).</ref>
Kasich said it was "hard to say" whether he would ever endorse Trump; he added, "I can't go for dividing, name calling, or somebody that doesn't really represent conservative principles."<ref>Kailani Koenig, John Kasich: 'Hard to Say' If I Will Ever Endorse Donald Trump Template:Webarchive, NBC News (June 9, 2016).</ref> Kasich said he had ruled out voting for Clinton but lacked the enthusiasm to fully back Trump.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In August 2016, Kasich repeated an earlier claim that the Trump campaign had offered him a powerful vice presidency, "putting him in charge of all domestic and foreign policy".<ref name="CNN">Template:Cite news</ref> The Trump campaign denied that such an offer had been made.<ref name="CNN"/> Kasich also doubted whether Trump could win Ohio, a critical state in the election.<ref name="CNN"/> It was speculated that Kasich was looking towards a 2020 campaign.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This speculation was strengthened by a report that Kasich had planned to give a speech to the American Enterprise Institute less than 48 hours after the election but cancelled it the morning after the election when it was clear that Trump had won.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Kasich received an electoral vote for the presidency from one faithless elector, Christopher Suprun of Texas, who had been pledged to vote for Trump. An elector in Colorado also attempted to vote for him, but that vote was discarded; the elector was replaced by an alternate elector who voted, as pledged, for Clinton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Opposition to Trump
In February 2017, Kasich met with Trump at the White House<ref>Henry J. Gomez, President Donald Trump will meet with Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Friday. But whose idea was it? Template:Webarchive, Cleveland.com (February 21, 2017).</ref> in a private meeting that followed a bitter feud.<ref name="MendFence">Deirdre Shesgreen, After bitter feud, Kasich and Trump try to mend fences Template:Webarchive, USA Today (February 24, 2017).</ref> Kasich indicated that he hoped for Trump's success, but would continue to be critical when he thought it was necessary.<ref name="MendFence"/> The same month, Kasich's chief political advisors launched a political group, Two Paths America, in an effort to promote Kasich and his views and draw a contrast with Trump.<ref name="2Paths">Henry J. Gomez, John Kasich's allies launch political organization to promote his vision (and to counter Trump's) Template:Webarchive, Cleveland.com (February 10, 2017).</ref> In April 2017, Kasich also released a book, Two Paths: America Divided or United, written with Daniel Paisner.<ref>Philip Rucker, Kasich to publish 'Two Paths,' a book offering a contrast to Trump's America Template:Webarchive, Washington Post (January 31, 2017).</ref><ref>Martha Wexler, Ohio Gov. John Kasich on America's Division and Rising Above 'Self-Absorption' Template:Webarchive, NPR, Morning Edition (April 26, 2017).</ref> The creation of the group prompted speculation he could possibly run for president again,<ref name="2Paths"/> but Kasich said that he had no plans to seek elected office in the future.<ref>Eli Watkins, John Kasich says he's not running for office again Template:Webarchive, CNN (March 26, 2017).</ref>
In April 2017, during a CNN town hall, Kasich, while stating that he was "very unlikely" to do so, reopened the possibility that he might run for president in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite video</ref><ref>Template:Cite video</ref> On August 20, however, he reiterated his previous statement that he had no plans to run; rather, he stated that he was "rooting for [Trump] to get it together."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In October 2017, during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Kasich said he had not "given up" on the Republican Party, but added that "if the party can't be fixed ... I'm not going to be able to support the party. Period. That's the end of it."<ref>Eli Watkins, Kasich hints at leaving GOP if it's not 'fixed' Template:Webarchive, CNN (October 1, 2017).</ref><ref>Erica Pandey, Kasich: If GOP "can't be fixed," I can't support it Template:Webarchive, Axios (October 2, 2017).</ref> In March 2018, he told The Weekly Standard that he was "increasingly open" to running for president in the 2020 presidential election;<ref name=ws>Template:Cite news</ref> however, in May 2019, he again declared that he would not seek the presidency in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In October 2019, Kasich expressed support for the impeachment inquiry against Trump, saying that the "final straw" for him was when Trump's acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney admitted that Trump had withheld U.S. aid from Ukraine in part to pressure the country to investigate Trump's domestic political rivals, a statement that Mulvaney later said was misconstrued.<ref>Kasich calls for Trump's impeachment Template:Webarchive, CNN Newsroom (October 18, 2019).</ref><ref>'Final straw': GOP ex-Ohio Gov. Kasich supports impeachment Template:Webarchive, Associated Press (October 18, 2019).</ref>
Kasich confirmed on August 10, 2020, that he would be speaking at the 2020 Democratic National Convention in support of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.<ref name=Vehicle/><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> Kasich said that his conscience compelled him to speak out against Trump and in support of Biden, even if it resulted in blowback against him, adding, "I've been a reformer almost all of my life. I've been very independent and I'm a Republican but the Republican Party has always been my vehicle but never my master. You have to do what you think is right in your heart and I'm comfortable here."<ref name=Vehicle/>
In September 2024, Kasich was one of several former governors to sign an open letter to all 50 current governors urging them to certify their states' votes after the upcoming November election, even if Trump urged them not to.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Kasich has been married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Lee Griffith from 1975 to 1980, and they had no children. Griffith has campaigned for Kasich since their divorce. Kasich and his current wife, Karen Waldbillig, a former public relations executive, were married in March 1997 and have twin daughters, Emma and Reese.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Kasich was raised a Catholic, but considers denominations irrelevant, while stating that "there's always going to be a part of me that considers myself a Catholic." He drifted away from his religion as an adult, but came to embrace an Anglican faith after his parents were killed in a car crash by a drunk driver on August 20, 1987.Template:Sfn<ref name="A Mailman's Son">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="publishersweekly">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Grossman">Cathy Lynn Grossman, 5 faith facts about Gov. John Kasich: 'God is with me wherever I happen to be' Template:Webarchive, Religion News Service (July 21, 2015).</ref> He joined the Episcopal Church as an adult.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> Kasich has said he "doesn't find God in church" but does belong to St. Augustine's in Westerville, Ohio, which is part of the Anglican Church in North America, a conservative church with which he remained when it broke off from the Episcopal Church.<ref name="Grossman"/><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
Legacy
Cardinal Hall at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio, was renamed Kasich Hall in 2019 in honor of Kasich.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Electoral history
Published works
Kasich has authored five books:
- Courage is Contagious, published in 1998, made the New York Times bestseller list
- Stand for Something: The Battle for America's Soul, published in 2006
- Every Other Monday, published in 2010. This book is a New York Times bestseller.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Two Paths: America Divided or United, published in 2017
- It's Up to Us: Ten Little Ways We Can Bring About Big Change, published in 2019
See also
- Ohio's 12th congressional district
- List of United States representatives from Ohio
- Ohio gubernatorial election, 2010
- Ohio gubernatorial election, 2014
- Republican Party presidential candidates, 2016
- List of John Kasich presidential campaign endorsements, 2016
References
- Citations
- Bibliography
External links
Template:Commons category Template:Wikiquote
- Governor John Kasich official Ohio government website Jan. 2019 archive
- John Kasich for Governor
- John Kasich for President
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- Pages with broken file links
- John Kasich
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