Chrissie Thompson of the Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that the Ohio Republican Party is planning to endorse John Kasich for President.
In an open primary. Two months before Ohio’s primary election.
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Republican Party’s governing body plans to vote Friday to endorse Gov. John Kasich’s presidential bid, an unusual step more than two months ahead of the state’s March 15 primary.
State parties and chairpeople around the country, especially in early-voting states, often try to stay neutral in the presidential race, preferring to support the candidate their voters elect. An Ohio Republican Party spokeswoman acknowledged the party’s plan is unusual in an open primary and as compared with other state parties in 2016, but said it falls within the party’s bylaws.
This is not done unless the candidate is an incumbent Republican president. It’s unprecedented. It’s especially egregious that it is being done by the state party hosting the Republican National Convention. I wonder how Reince Priebus feels about this…
I suppose we should have seen this coming all along. There has never been any attempt to hide the fact that the ORP has been set up to be an arm of the Kasich presidential campaign.
Last May, Chairman Matt Borges furiously lashed out at Treasurer Josh Mandel for daring to support somebody for president who wasn’t John Kasich, even though Kasich didn’t even announce his candidacy until three months later.
Borges said Mandel should’ve sat and waited to see if Kasich would run, and then fallen in line and endorsed Kasich. Because Mandel endorsed Rubio instead, Borges labeled him a “bit player”.
Now the party is attempting to do the same thing with Ohio’s Republican voters. They are sending a message that if you are a Republican, and aren’t planning to vote for Kasich in March, that you are out of line with the Ohio Republican Party.
These are the kind of tactics that are driving some people to support candidates like Donald Trump. As much as they are opposed to Trump and as much as they want to stop him, it’s amazing that they are so absolutely tone deaf as to pull a stunt like this.
But that’s today’s ORP, folks. And don’t doubt for a second that Kasich hasn’t given this his blessing. They wouldn’t dare do it if he was opposed to it.
It’s one more reason I will never donate a penny to the Ohio Republican Party, and neither should you. Give your donations directly to the candidates you want to help instead.
