COLUMBUS – Ohio Gov. John Kasich is turning his attention to Iowa, after a flurry of activity has signaled that he may be headed toward a top-tier victory in the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary next month.
Kasich has landed endorsements in that contest from the Concord Monitor and the Boston Globe, and some polling has placed him second among New Hampshire voters behind Donald Trump ahead of the final GOP primary debate before Monday’s Iowa caucuses.
If you believe your political success can be gauged by the people who criticize you, Kasich is making a lot of noise.
A new attack ad funded by a group that does not disclose its donors accuses Kasich of raising taxes as governor, prompting a complaint from his campaign.
He is also on the radar of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who called on him to veto a measure to defund Planned Parenthood.
The Kasich campaign, Kasich for America has sent a “cease-and-desist” letter to 14 broadcast outlets in four states – Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont – demanding they stop airing the commercial.
“We ask that you acknowledge this false, misleading, and deceptive advertisement by refusing to air this advertisement. We also request that you reject any efforts by the American Future Fund to purchase additional advertising time because of American Future Fund’s intentional and blatant disregard for the truth,” the letter read in part.
Kasich allies have complained about the “shady donors” disparaging their candidate to the Federal Election Commission.
But the American Future Fund, which paid $1 million to air the ad in New Hampshire, is a nonprofit that isn’t required to make its donors known. Founder Nick Ryan won’t say who is giving the money.
The ad portrays Kasich, the Ohio governor, as a Republican who is aligned with Democratic President Barack Obama. It says he expanded Medicaid, something many Republican politicians oppose.
Ryan also leads a super PAC helping presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Ryan says no candidate allies approached him about doing the ad.