John Kasich: Ohio Governor’s Job Approval Rating Hits New High [Op-Ed]

COMMENTARY |Ohio Governor John Kasich has earned his highest job performance rating since taking office, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. Although 35 percent of registered Ohio voters disapprove of the fiscally conservative governor’s performance, a total of 42 percent think he is doing a good job and leading the Buckeye State down the path to prosperity.

John Kasich worked both across the aisle and with business leaders to keep companies in the state while attracting new business. He does not mince words and does not like to waste time, two qualities which help to make him a successful leader and one of the best governor’s Ohio has had in decades.

Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Assistant Director Peter A. Brown had this to say about the Kasich job performance survey:

“Things are looking better for Governor John Kasich. But it is not all blue skies as Gov. Kasich enters the last half of his term.”

The Republican governor’s first term ends in January 2015 and he has already stated his intentions to offer his services to Ohio once again, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Although Kasich made more economic and educational advancements than his predecessors, he still has not convinced a majority of those polled that he is the right man to lead the state a second time around.

Ohio is far from a utopia economically speaking, but the enormous strides Kasich has made in reducing the unemployment rate and creating a business-friendly environment should garner him far more support than the recent poll showed.

I personally do not know anyone who was ever asked to participate in a John Kasich poll even one time. Ohio, like many states, is split geographically when it comes to political preference. Rural areas are often overlooked when it comes to requests for opinions and that could be having an impact on the Kasich job performance rating.

Those of us who live in the beautiful and low-crime rural areas are also residing in some of the most impoverished regions in the state. We have seen first-hand how the entitlement mindset has flourished due to well-intentioned yet misguided programs. We have also felt the impact of a multitude of small business closures on our local economy.

A fiscally responsible leader like John Kasich knows how to foster job creation and does not tolerate further burdening the taxpayers with programs and policies that defy common sense. The man closed a nearly $8 billion deficit without raising taxes on anyone, that accomplishment alone deserves a bi-partisan round of applause.

When voters walk into the ballot booth in 2015 they should not think of themselves as either Democratic or Republican, but as Ohioans. Those of us who value hard work, want to keep the majority of the fruits of our labors, see our necessary tax dollars spent wisely to aid integral agencies and programs, will surely be overjoyed that John Kasich has offered us the opportunity to vote for him once again.