Kasich tries to climb in polls

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

Ohio’s governor says he isn’t going to use “hot rhetoric” or campaign promises that won’t be kept as he tries to move up in the crowded GOP field.

John Kasich, who officially launched his presidential campaign last week in Columbus, also isn’t following other candidates who have trained their sights on early poll leader Donald Trump.

“I didn’t get out of Ohio to do this for a long time. So my poll numbers are not great, OK?” Kasich said in an interview shown Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “So I’ve got to talk about me ... let’s let everybody else weigh in.”

The second-term governor and former congressman, who campaigned in Michigan on Saturday, is pointing to experience and capability, saying he’s “a problem-solver” who’s brought state government reforms and economic progress to his home swing state.

Ohio Democratic Party leaders have said that Kasich’s economic policies benefit the wealthiest Ohioans and have hurt local governments and schools.

Kasich said in the interview that candidates don’t keep their campaign promises when they run for president.

“And the reason is they make promises that are ridiculous,” Kasich said. “They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Kasich said candidates who promise to immediately rip up the Barack Obama administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran are “just playing to a crowd.” But he is critical of the deal and wants to keep economic pressure on Iran.

With the first debate of the Republican presidential campaign fast approaching, White House hopefuls are jockeying to improve their polling. A candidate needs to place in the top 10 in an average of national polls to meet the criteria Fox News Channel has set to take the stage Aug. 6 in Cleveland.

Recent polls indicate Kasich’s position is improving.

“It’s about capability,” Kasich said. “And part of capability is electability.” But he said it’s not only about getting elected.

“We’re not running for class president. We’re running to be the commander in chief and the leader of the United States of America. Grow up!”

Kasich enters the race with a lot of positive attributes, according to those who have followed him in Ohio and especially his supporters.

Those attributes include his working-class upbringing in Pennsylvania, nine terms in Congress, jobs in the private sector as a regional managing director for the defunct Lehman Brothers investment firm and as a talk-show host for Fox News, and getting re-elected governor of Ohio after presiding over what is undeniably an economic recovery on his watch.

Digging deeper, supporters say Kasich’s resume overall beats all the other Republican candidates. He served on the House Armed Services Committee, which gave him some familiarity with defense and foreign policy issues, and he was the House Budget Committee chairman the last time the United States had a balanced budget.

In the upcoming election, Ohio will — as always — be a highly sought political prize. Kasich’s approval ratings suggest a popularity that could swing the state into the Republican column.

Herb Asher, a political-science professor at the Ohio State University, said Kasich “did a fine job” and likely came across to any citizens who happened to be watching as “someone that was appealing to their better instincts. He came across as a very, very warm, optimistic, positive person.”

Asher identifies himself as a Democrat who nonetheless appears to find much to admire in Kasich. What he admires, however, are positions and qualities that may not pay off among the conservative media and early voters in Iowa and South Carolina, who carry a lot of weight in the Republican Party.

“I call him a governing conservative,” Asher said. He may be fiscally and socially conservative “but nevertheless recognizes that government has a role to play and a constructive role.”

As much as Ohio political observers may believe Kasich’s resume and qualifications make him a good candidate, he is an undisputed long shot.

The political-action committee affiliated with him, “New Day for America,” has reported raising $11.5 million. And his campaign committee, Kasich for America, has not reported raising money yet.

By comparison, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had amassed $114 million as of June 30 in his own campaign war chest and through his Right to Rise SuperPAC.

Contributor: The Toledo Blade