John Kasich Introduces Himself As A Different Kind Of Presidential Candidate

Having helped in the process of balancing the federal budget as Chairman of the Budget Committee in Congress, and having served successfully as governor of Ohio for two terms, John Kasich is presenting himself as a different kind of presidential candidate, Washington Post is reporting. While most candidates run away from Washington D.C. experience, Kasich, who officially announced his candidate yesterday, is running on his experience in Washington.

Jeb Bush, who is more of a political insider than any candidate for president, like many, is running away from Washington in making his claim that he is not connected to the nation’s capital, having served two terms as governor of Florida. Kasich served 18 years in Congress, working his way to the chairmanship of the Budget Committee in the 1990s after Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress in the historic 1994 elections.

Ohio Governor John Kasich announced his candidacy yesterday, Time magazine reported and published the transcript of his announcement speech.

“So I want to tell you that it’s this whole business of the American Dream… that we can all work to make sure that next generation is going to be in a position of greater strength that what we received. And I get my inspiration from the people who came before me.”

Kasich is entering the race for president perceived as a centrist candidate, the New York Times reports. Calling him a “blunt-talking maverick”, the Times reported Kasich making that case that he has “the experience and the testing” to be president:

“Mr. Kasich, joined by his wife and 15-year-old twin daughters, addressed several thousand cheering supporters inside the student union building at Ohio State University here, offering a centrist appeal designed to paint him as a common-sense Midwesterner who can fix a broken Washington. He avoided attacking President Obama, as his Republican rivals have done.”

Writing for FiveThirtyEight, Harry Enten says that Kasich is “A Jeb Bush in Jon Huntsman clothing,” echoing the perception of Kasich as a more moderate Republican candidate. Enten notes Kasich having a “dream résumé” for a GOP candidate for president, including his 18 years in Congress, his six years hosting a show on the Fox News channel, and his two terms as governor of Ohio.

Enten writes, about Kasich, that his “…problem is that he sounds a lot like Huntsman.”

Kasich has said it was likely he would run for president, The Inquisitr reported in May of this year. He made it clear he would be running for president and has no desire to be elected vice president. At the time, he had already visited New Hampshire and South Carolina in exploring a run for the presidency.

[Photo of John Kasich by Ty Wright for Getty Images.]