Kasich to announce 2016 plans July 21

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Ohio Gov. John Kasich will formally announce his plans for the 2016 presidential race July 21.

The two-term governor, who leads one of the nation’s premier swing states, is expected to formally join the Republican primary field at an announcement set for Ohio State University, according to senior advisers.

The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to pre-empt the announcement.

Kasich would join a GOP field that already includes more than a dozen high-profile candidates.

The 63-year Republican isn’t as well-known as some of his likely Republican competitors, but he has been involved in national politics for more than three decades. He previously served in Congress for 18 years.

It would be Kasich’s second bid for the nation’s top job. He briefly sought the 2000 nomination before George W. Bush emerged as a Republican favorite. That earlier bid came after Kasich led efforts to balance the federal budget in 1997.

Since January, he’s been traveling the country in a nationwide effort to line up necessary support to call for a federal balanced budget amendment, which he views as an extension of his efforts nearly two decades ago.

His recent travels have included political trips to New Hampshire, South Carolina, New York and Michigan, trips that gave him an opportunity to test his scrappy political style and his track record as governor on a broader audience.

Kasich is considered more moderate than some of his Republican rivals.

He’s also known for going off script and for pulling no punches about political positions he sees as practical though they might anger fellow Republicans. Kasich advocated income-tax cuts and expanded Medicaid under the federal health care law and taken on oil-and-gas producers while supporting Common Core education standards.