During the Republican national convention, John Kasich was everywhere in and around Cleveland – but he wasn’t at the actual convention. His absence didn’t go unnoticed with Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s chairman, with him taking a dig at Kasich. Manafort called out Kasich for being absent at the convention, as well as refusing to endorse Trump, the official GOP nominee.
Here’s How John Kasich Responded To Trump’s Camp
During an interview for Phillynews.com, Kasich said that Trump does not have a chance of securing Ohio’s votes in November. He called Trump a divider, saying that people like him do poorly in places like Ohio. Kasich remarked that Ohio is a snapshot of the country, and it wants a positive way forward. Trump represents the antithesis of Ohio’s values.
Here’s Why Ohio Actually Should Matter To Trump
There are some states that most pundits agree that Trump will most likely win, like Texas, for example. This is Ted Cruz’ home state. Even though the spat between Trump and Cruz is highly publicized, it’s very clear who the dominant force is.
However, for Ohio, Kasich’s home state, things may be a bit different. Ohio is a classic swing state, and the polls show that it is a highly competitive state for Trump or Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee. An antagonistic, uncooperative governor of Ohio has a direct influence on how people will perceive Trump. Even though Kasich is not interested in running against Trump, he still is the gatekeeper to Ohio’s votes.
Then there’s this tidbit – there has never been a Republican who has won the White House without dominating Ohio. For now, Trump and his aides would do best not attacking the governor of such an influential swing state.
Image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore under The Creative Commons License 2.0.
