John Kasich

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Who is John Kasich?

Former congressman and Ohio Governor, John Kasich, announced his intent to run for the 2016 Presidential election through an emotional speech on July 21st, 2015.

Kasich Biography

John Kasich was born on May 13th, 1952 in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. He grew up within a Roman Catholic family, and went on to receive a degree in Political Science from Ohio State University.

While at Ohio State, Kasich demonstrated a serious interest in federal politics. He even had the opportunity to meet with President Nixon for 20 minutes to brief him on issues affecting young people. Following university, Kasich jumped right into the political sphere.

Kasich worked as an aide post graduation for various Republican politicians. In 1978 at the age of 26, he won a seat in the Ohio State Senate, which made him the youngest person to ever do so at the time. After four years in the State Senate, Kasich turned his focus to congress and had his sights set on a seat in the U.S House of Representativas.

Kasich served in the House of Representatives from 1983-2001 representing Ohio's 12th congressional district. Following his service in Congress, Kasich became an investment banker with Lehman Brothers. It wasn't until 2010 that Kasich returned to the political arena with a defeat over Democrat Ted Strickland for the governorship of Ohio.

On July 21st, 2015, Kasich announced his intention to run for the Republican nomination. Although considered an longshot from the start, Kasich has abandoned some of his older, more conservative positions to become the moderate face of the Republican party. However, it is unknown whether Kasich's moderateness will be enough to disrupt the Republican race and force an Open National Convention. If he succeeds in forcing the split of delegates among the other candidates, he might be able emerge as the most viable candidate for presidency on the Republican side.

Kasich & The Issues

Education: Kasich defends the Common Core educaiton standard, and has been a longtime advocate for education reform. He aims to dramtically overhaul the funding formulas to giver poorer districts and charter schools greater resources. Additionally, Kasich has used his veto power to cut more than $84 million of public school funding.

Foreign Policy: A spokesman on behalf of Kasich told reporters following the announcement of the Iran deal, that the proposal concerned him. Additionally, Kasich attended Netanyahu's speech to Congress, and has said the U.S should not pressure Israel into peace negotiations. In regards to the Islamic State, Kasich believes ground troops are necessary in defeating the terrorist group. He has also called for a more effective international plan regarding the efforts to defeat ISIS.

Social Issues: Kasich has a balanced stance on same-sex marriage, and following the Supreme Court ruling he told CBS' Face the Nation that he "believes in traditional marriage, but the court has ruled and it's time to move on". In regards to abortion, Kasich is very conservative. He signed a bill into law in June 2013 that bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The same bill also cut Planned Parenthood funding, and requires women to undergo ultrasounds before obtaining an abortion.

Immigration and Refugees: Kasich believes undocumented immigrants should be allowed a path to legal status if they have been law abiding. However, he has stated that he prefers to offer immigrants a path to legal status rather than citizenship, but has clarified that "paths to citizenship" should be part of compromise talks. This is a change from his previous stance on immigration in 2010, when he told the Columbus Dispatch that he opposed any legal status for undocumented residents and wanted to eliminate granting citizenship to children born within the U.S.

Obamacare: Kasich adopted the Medicaid expansion offered by the Affordable Care Act within Ohio. He used Ronald Reagan's expansion of Medicaid to support his actions. However, Kasich also supports repealing and replacing the rest of Obamacare.

Taxes: Kasich proposes moving away from income taxes and moving towards more consumption and sales taxes. He has said, if elected, he would work to lower corporate taxes and close so-called loopholes.

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