Kasich: Let states decide whether to take down Confederate flag

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio Gov. John Kasich says it’s ultimately up to the people of South Carolina to decide whether to keep the Confederate flag outside their Statehouse.

But the governor adds that if he lived in South Carolina, he’d be for taking it down.

Several 2016 Republican presidential contenders weighed in on the flag debate Saturday. Their comments come in the wake of the shooting deaths of nine people in a historic African-American church in South Carolina last Wednesday.

Kasich issued a statement Saturday after Mitt Romney called for the immediate removal of the flag.

The Ohio governor hasn’t said yet whether he intends to make a run for the White House. He’s been to South Carolina several times in recent months and will be traveling to Iowa later this week.