With the departure of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from the 2016 GOP presidential race, middle America appears wide open for John Kasich.
The Ohio governor's campaign team had been preparing for a possible showdown in Michigan next March for Midwestern supremacy among Republican presidential hopefuls. They already have staffing on the ground in Michigan and just obtained the endorsement of two legislative leaders.
Top strategist John Weaver has talked about making Kasich the candidate of middle America, and now it appears more possible -- presuming the efforts of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum remain in the doldrums. Otherwise the top-polling GOP hopefuls reside in coastal states.
However, Kasich may not immediately benefit by snaring supporters of Walker, who quit the contest due to plummeting poll numbers -- especially in Iowa, where he was once a solid leader -- and fund-raising problems.
"Removing Walker from the equation does leave Kasich more room to maneuver in the Midwest, but ultimately I think they were pursuing different groups of voters," said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia.
"Walker was clearly moving to the right and going for a more conservative, evangelical electorate in Iowa, while Kasich has been moving more to the middle to pursue New Hampshire moderates. So Walker's exit might be more of a boon to the more evangelical, conservative candidates than to someone like Kasich."
Kasich and Walker often were viewed through similar lenses. Both were elected in 2010, and both immediately took on state public employee unions. Kasich lost the battle over Senate Bill 5 by a large margin in a November 2011 referendum. Walker, who did not include safety forces in his slashing of collective-bargaining rights, did not face a referendum on his plan but did survive a recall effort. He later made Wisconsin a right-to-work state, a move Kasich has refused to attempt in Ohio.
Shortly after Walker announced his decision, Kasich tweeted: "Make no mistake, a strong leader like @ScottWalker has a bright future & is a model for other governors. Good luck, Scott! -- J ohn."
And Weaver added on Twitter: "This is a tough business, but @ScottWalker got in the arena and fought hard. More than can be said about some of his critics."
Earlier this month, Weaver said while the Kasich campaign is emphasizing early voting states such as New Hampshire, "We understand this nomination battle is going to go deep into the calendar, and we're prepared for that."
(c)2015 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio)
