This Republican can actually win the White House

While there is no socially liberal Republican running for the presidency this year, there is one who seems a lot less radical and a lot less angry than the rest of them; that man is John Kasich. He may actually be the least known of the bunch that is left, but what makes him the GOP’s last hope?

John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, was elected in a landslide election in 2014 with more than sixty percent of the vote. His approval rating at its lowest point was in the high fifties, and on a good day in the high sixties. Ohio is a crucial state for Republicans to win as they have not won an election in the past few decades without winning Ohio. Kasich would affirm to his party he will win Ohio since he is well-liked by the people he governs for.

Kasich is also one of the more moderate conservatives that are running. Yes, he believes in traditional marriage, but he has also clearly stated that gay marriage is now the law of the land and that he understands the rest of the nation may have a different view than him. He also acknowledges that his party is notorious for Medicaid cuts, and that he is not going to cut something that people need, but instead work to get the people off of this program. However, an issue that may hurt Kasich (and the rest of Republicans) is his stance on abortion; he is pro-life with exceptions only for rape, incest, and to save the mother.

Governor Kasich has also made clear defining boundaries from the rest of his party, especially Donald Trump who he deems as a fascist in his attack advertisements. This outrages many conservatives as he is spending money to attack a member of his own party instead of Hillary Clinton, however this helps Kasich’s crossover appeal.

However what Kasich does not need in the primary of this election is crossover appeal, and that is why he is not doing well in polls. Much of the conservative base does not find Kasich to be conservative enough, or they are distracted by the loud egotistical frontrunner. Perhaps this just was not the right year for Kasich to run?

Unlike Kasich’ senator colleagues running, Kasich actually has a positive track record. He turned an eight billion dollar deficit in his state into a two billion dollar surplus, improved public education, and even was an architect for balancing the national budget. Even though Kasich has an impressive record, it does not seem to be benefiting him.

New polling data is also beginning to indicate that Kasich could beat Clinton by margins near double digits; he wins states that Republicans have trouble locking down or never win, such as Ohio, Connecticut, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, etc. This could be the beginning of a shift in the electoral college as well.

I would like to advise Republicans; I can guarantee you will not win in November if you keep pushing radically conservative candidates, or candidates that are hated by the rest of the country. Kasich is safe since many either like him or do not know him, and is willing to settle for what the country prefers over his personal preferences.