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Gov. John Kasich created a committee to raise money for a potential presidential run
YOUNGSTOWN
Gov. John Kasich created a political committee that will allow him to raise an unlimited amount of money for a potential presidential run.
Kasich, a Republican, announced Monday the formation of New Day for America, a so-called 527 organization — named for the IRS tax-exempt 527 rule.
While Kasich hasn’t formally announced a bid for the presidency, he has been visiting key early 2016 presidential-primary states. Among those on New Day’s board of directors is ex-U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, the first primary election state. Kasich has been there twice, including this past weekend.
“It’s time to put aside the petty differences that divide us and rediscover the values we all share,” Kasich said in an online message on NewDayForAmerica.com.
The governor also said on the online message that he planned to “start getting around the country more, meeting and talking with more people.”
In an email, Kasich wrote: “When we remember our shared values, we can come together and do what we all know needs to be done: balance our nation’s budget, create jobs by cutting taxes and reforming our tax code, help our fellow Americans who live in the shadows move up and lead self-sufficient lives, finally get smart about making health care affordable and help make the world a safer place by spreading freedom and prosperity.”
While Kasich is touting bipartisanship, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said of the governor, “There’s the rhetoric and the record. We’ve seen nearly five years of a very clear approach of trickle-down economics that hasn’t worked. That’s not bipartisan. He’s reduced taxes for those who are doing the best and increased taxes for those not doing as well.”
Also, Ohio’s recovery from the recession hasn’t been as good as most states Kasich is visiting as he considers running for president, Pepper said.
“Ohio isn’t doing that well,” Pepper said. “If you look at how he ran, it doesn’t seem to be consistent with his promise that Ohio would be his priority. It would be nice to have a full-time governor focused on the state.”
Kasich, less than four months into his second term as governor, said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he’s “more and more serious” about running for president. National polls either have Kasich at the bottom or not included.