Report: Kasich to Speak on Biden’s Behalf at Democratic Convention

Former Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) will reportedly endorse Joe Biden next month during a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Wisconsin.

Kasich, a prominent intraparty critic of President Donald Trump, appeared poised to speak in support of the former vice president, according to the Associated Press. The former Ohio governor is one of several high-profile Republicans likely to endorse and campaign for Biden ahead of the general election.

The likely endorsement comes after years of ill-will between the former governor and Trump. The animosity between the two men stretches back to the 2016 presidential primaries, where Trump and Kasich competed fiercely for the Republican nomination.

Kasich, a center-right moderate, initially attempted to consolidate the anti-Trump vote behind his candidacy but failed to stand out in the crowded primary race. Even after Trump scored early victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina, Kasich failed to capitalize on the winnowing field of candidates. Overall, the governor never grew his support among GOP voters and only carried his home state of Ohio in the nominating contests.

Kasich continued his opposition to Trump well after dropping out of the race. First, the governor opted to not attend the Republican National Convention where Trump would officially be nominated, despite the event being held in his own state. Then, Kasich refused overtures to publicly support Trump in the general election against then-Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton.

After’s Trump victory, the relationship between the two barely improved. In fact, Kasich claimed in early 2018 that he was seriously considering a challenge to the president in the 2020 Republican primaries. Although that run never materialized, the former governor has continued to publicly oppose Trump, most notably backing the Democrats’ efforts on impeachment last year.