Kasich: ‘Seriously considering’ running

Associated Press

DETROIT

Ohio Gov. John Kasich told business leaders in Detroit on Monday that he was “seriously considering” a race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination but isn’t setting a timetable for a decision.

The second-term Ohio governor said he wouldn’t rush the decision, even as other Republicans join the race. GOP U.S. Sens Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas already have declared their candidacies.

“I’m going to decide this when I want to decide it,” Kasich told about 300 people at a Detroit Economic Club luncheon. “I am seriously considering it.”

Kasich said that if he runs, he will offer a “blunt” assessment of American politics and the country’s most- pressing issues, including the federal debt and immigration.

“I feel compelled to deliver a message like this,” Kasich said. “If people like it, great. If they don’t like it, I’ll play more golf.”

The former congressman said he has a strong record fighting military waste in Congress and trying to reform Ohio’s welfare system. Regarding immigration, Kasich said he opposes creating a path to U.S. citizenship for millions of people illegally living in the country but that he also opposes mass deportation.

“We don’t have enough buses to put 12 million people on a bus, ship them to the border and yell, ‘Get out,’” Kasich said.

Kasich — who is scheduled to visit the early primary states of South Carolina and New Hampshire this week — said he is aware of the key role that Ohio plays in deciding the presidential winner.

“If it makes sense, you know, I’ll do it,” he said. “But it’s got to make sense to me and to my family and to my friends, because I’m not going to string anybody out there. We’ll see how things go.”