COLUMBUS, Ohio—Gov. John Kasich on Wednesday voiced doubts about challenging President Donald Trump in 2020, saying right now he couldn’t beat the president in a Republican primary.
“I don’t get into things that I don’t think I can win,” the term-limited governor said during a Columbus Metropolitan Club luncheon. “And I think right now, today, inside the Republican Party, I can’t beat him [Trump] in a primary.”
Kasich again brought up the prospect of running for president as a independent, though he noted that such candidates usually don’t win.
“I don’t have to be a candidate to have a voice,” the governor said. “Because I will have a voice, believe me.”
However, Kasich indicated he could change his mind if the political winds change. “We’ll see,” he said.
Kasich, a two-term governor and former congressman from suburban Columbus, ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. While Kasich won headlines for finishing second to Trump in the New Hampshire primary, the only state he won before dropping out of the race was his home state.
Kasich also indicated he would soon veto legislation that would shift the burden of proof in use-of-force cases from the defendant to the prosecution.