Kasich finds it hard to rule out 2020

Ohio Gov. John Kasich returned to the national spotlight this week with criticism for the GOP and President Trump, raising questions about the former Republican presidential candidate’s political future.

It’s clear that the governor wants to distinguish his brand of conservatism from Trump’s, a point the governor made repeatedly during a presidential bid that saw him become the last option in the primary for “#NeverTrump” Republicans. But what’s less clear now is what comes next for the governor, whose term expires in early 2019.

While Trump may embody the opposite of Kasich’s school of conservative politics, Kasich’s options are limited as long as Trump sits in the Oval Office.

“Kasich is kind of in limbo — his time as governor will end when he’s termed out, he doesn’t have a path toward any other office in Ohio, and if Trump runs for reelection, I doubt he’ll challenge him,” said Ryan Williams, a former aide on 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s presidential bid.

“But he’s trying to keep his name in the mix in case President Trump decides not to run again … He, like many people, was counting on President Trump to lose in November, expecting to occupy a space in the effort to rebuild the party. But that evaporated the minute Trump won the election.”

Every appearance Kasich has made this week on a promotional tour for his new book — including stops at “The View,” “The Daily Show” and a brief swing through New Hampshire, a key primary state — builds to the same question: Will he run in 2020?

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/331178-kasich-finds-it-hard-to-rule-out-2020