Ohio governor to announce his presidential bid in July

By Marc Kovac | June 30, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

COLUMBUS

More than 500 people already have requested tickets to an event next month where Gov. John Kasich is expected to formally launch his 2016 presidential campaign.

Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party and Kasich’s New Day for America nonprofit, confirmed the request total Monday, a day after a new website – www.johnkasich.com – went live.

That site mentions “A Special Announcement” set for July 21 in Columbus, with a sign-up option for tickets to attend in person or to watch a live broadcast.

Schrimpf confirmed that Kasich would announce his presidential intentions at the event.

Doors open to attendees at 9:30 a.m. at the Ohio State University Student Union (Kasich is an OSU graduate). The governor plans to head back to New Hampshire after the announcement.

Kasich’s entrance into the race will cap months of buildup and add another Republican to a crowded primary field that includes more than a dozen potential candidates.

His declaration would come a little more than two weeks before the first GOP primary debate, which is set for Cleveland and which will be limited to the top 10 candidates ranked among a handful of national polls.

Kasich has spent much time in recent weeks outside of Ohio, making multiple stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina and speaking at events in other states as he tested the waters for a potential campaign.

He established his New Day for America nonprofit group in April. The tax-exempt political organization provided a means for accepting contributions without formally announcing his candidacy.

Kasich topped Democrat Hillary Clinton among possible 2016 candidate match-ups in Ohio, but he still isn’t registering much support in Florida and Pennsylvania, according to polls released by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute earlier this month.