John Kasich is out of the race
On Wednesday various news organizations were reporting Ohio Governor John Kasich would announce the end of his bid to the the Republican nominee for President of the United States.
The governor hasn’t done well at all, with the exception of winning his home state and getting second place in a few of the most recent primaries. His hope for the past three months was that Senator Ted Cruz would do well enough to force the Republican Party into a contested convention when the party holds its convention July 18 in Cleveland, OH. Then, according to the governor’s plan, he and his supporters would convince at least 1,237 delegates to vote for him on a third or fourth ballot.
Kasich was mathematically eliminated from winning the primaries several weeks earlier, but he has persisted, with dreams of winning a contested convention. He often said he was the only GOP candidate that consistently beat Secretary Hillary Clinton in the polls and he once described the campaigns of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump a “pathway to darkness.”
But with Senator Cruz dropping out yesterday, and GOP chairman Reince Priebus tweeting that Donald Trump is the “presumptive nominee” of the GOP, even the hope of a contested convention has been shot down by the party itself.
Kasich became known for three things in his campaign: how badly he’s been doing, he could only win his home state and eating. Pundits commented daily on the governor’s ability to consume large amounts of food and the most famous video and photographs will be those from New York when he was often surrounded by news media whenever he stopped to eat something.
The governor made his announcement at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. He began by thanking his wife and family, plus the school his children attend. He thanked his supporters, especially his volunteers, the donors and Beth Hanson, his campaign manager.
The governor talked about his future and spending more time with his family. He thanked the people of Ohio and admitted he never knew the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was actually above the state of Wisconsin until he actually went to the U.P. Kasich said the people of America had changed him with their personal stories.
He then laid out legislative ideals, like a federal balanced budget amendment to force Congress to do its job.
At the end Governor Kasich spoke briefly about faith and then announced he was suspending his campaign.
With Governor Kasich out of the race, real estate tycoon Donald Trump can now coast to the GOP’s nomination. He has already begun campaigning against Secretary Hillary Clinton, who, in turn, is pivoting towards the general election as well.
Senator Bernie Sanders won the Indiana primary on the Democratic side, and he — like Governor Kasich — is hoping for a contested Democratic convention this summer when the party convenes July 25 in Philadelphia, PA. Although Sanders has many supporters, including pundits, there are few that believe the senator has any chance of winning the nomination.
Tim Forkes started as a writer on a small alternative college newspaper in Milwaukee called the Crazy Shepherd. Writing about entertainment issues, he had the opportunity to speak with many people in show business, from the very famous to the people struggling to find an audience. In 1992 Tim moved to San Diego, CA and pursued other interests, but remained a freelance writer. Upon arrival in Southern California he was struck by how the business of government and business was so intertwined, far more so than he had witnessed in Wisconsin. His interest in entertainment began to wane and the business of politics took its place. He had always been interested in politics, his mother had been a Democratic Party official in Milwaukee, WI, so he sat down to dinner with many of Wisconsin’s greatest political names of the 20th Century: William Proxmire and Clem Zablocki chief among them. As a Marine Corps veteran, Tim has a great interest in veteran affairs, primarily as they relate to the men and women serving and their families. As far as Tim is concerned, the military-industrial complex has enough support. How the men and women who serve are treated is reprehensible, while in the military and especially once they become veterans. Tim would like to help change that reality.