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2020 is looking to be a pivotal year in politics. But this year's elections are about much more than the race for the White House. And the coronavirus pandemic is proving to be a complicating factor. WKSU, our colleagues at public radio stations across Ohio and the region and at NPR will bring you coverage of all the races from the national to the local level.

How Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, A Republican, Might Help Democrats

Gov. John Kasich
Dan Konik
Gov. John Kasich

Former Ohio Governor and 2016 Republican presidential candidate John Kasich will be speaking for likely nominee Joe Biden at the upcoming Democratic National Convention. Some Ohio Democrats are blasting the idea on social media. But there are reasons why Democrats could benefit from Kasich’s appearance.

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, championed an anti-union bill that was repealed by voters and signed many anti-abortion laws.

“Governor Kasich speaking at the Democratic National Convention isn’t for Democrats and he certainly isn’t for Ohio Democrats," says David Niven, a political science professor at the University of Cincinnati.

“Well, he is meant to speak to that voter who might have cast a Republican ballot their entire life but be uncomfortable with Donald Trump," Niven says.

Niven notes Democratic politician Zell Miller of Georgia spoke at the RNC for President George W Bush in 2004. And he says there’s one thing that holds true in these cases.

“Once they’ve stepped to the podium in the other party’s convention, their career within their party is over.”

But Niven says Kasich could be trying to position himself for a cabinet post in a Biden administration. 

Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment. Jo started her career in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid 80’s when she helped produce a televised presidential debate for ABC News, worked for a creative services company and served as a general assignment report for a commercial radio station. In 1989, she returned back to her native Ohio to work at the WOSU Stations in Columbus where she began a long resume in public radio.
Jo Ingles
Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.