COLUMBUS – Ohio Gov. John Kasich plans to announce today that he’ll be running for president.
The second-term Republican governor and former congressman launches his campaign at Ohio State University (11:00 a.m.).
Kasich enters a GOP field already crowded with 16 other candidates and faces the challenge of elevating his visibility in the next few weeks. Only the top 10 candidates in the polls will be included in the first Republican debate, in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
While some say Kasich waited too long to announce his bid, others say his timing is perfect.
“Every candidate that has announced has seen a five- to six-point bump in their poll numbers the weeks after they announce,” Republican political analyst Mike Gonidakis said. “The national media focuses on the candidate that announces last. Those who are first sometimes finish last and those who are last sometimes finish first.”
A recent survey of several polls showed Kasich in 12th place.
Kasich is known for his unfiltered style and policies that are not always in line with his party.
He’s been one of the few Republican contenders to resist going after the chief Democratic prospect, Hillary Rodham Clinton, or President Barack Obama. Kasich says if he has to trash people to win, count him out.