Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s (R) super PAC — Kasich for America — fired off a fundraising email Wednesday, touting the Trump critic’s hiring as a CNN contributor, stoking additional speculation that he will run for president in 2020.
“We wanted to reach out to make sure you saw the news that Gov. John Kasich begins a new role this week as a regular contributor on CNN,” the email reads. Readers are invited to watch Kasich’s first interview on CNN on Cuomo Prime Time with host Christopher Cuomo.
Cuomo Prime Time welcomes @CNN‘s newest senior political commentator, former Ohio Gov. @JohnKasich, who pledges to call things as he sees them “like an umpire calling balls and strikes.” #LetsGetAfterIt https://t.co/OLkNtyeAAB pic.twitter.com/Hod0vMoJPJ
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) January 16, 2019
In his first appearance, Kasich dismissed buzz about a potential 2020 White House bid and pledged to act akin to an “umpire, calling balls and strikes,” who is focused on “help[ing] people understand… the way things work on the inside.”
“[A]nd by the way, this is not me promoting anything, including myself,” he claimed.
“We are excited about what this means for Gov. Kasich and his growing ability to weigh-in on the issues that Americans care about,” the email continues. “We expect to see him continue calling on Washington to end the non-stop politicking and actually do something to offer real solutions to America’s challenges.”
“It’s simple. With more interviews comes more things to share and grow Gov. Kasich’s message and audience,” it adds.
The fundraising pitch says it needs to hit the super PACs monthly fundraising goals to “ensure that we can fund these items,” strangely implying that Kasich may not to fulfill his duties as a contributor if targets aren’t met. Readers are then prompted to donate $25, $50, or $100.
On Tuesday, Axios first reported, and later confirmed by CNN, that Kasich will serve as an analyst on several of the news network’s programs after speculation that he will take a job at the news organization or a role at MSNBC.
“The governor has strong insights to help guide conversations in our country in a positive direction and this new partnership with CNN gives him a great platform to do so,” John Weaver, a longtime adviser to Kasich, told Axios. The development came one day after the former Ohio Gov. signed with Hollywood talent agency, United Talent Agency, which represents top celebrities such as Kevin Hart, Angelina Jolie, and Will Ferrell.
Kasich, who was easily beaten by President Trump in the 2016 presidential election, has spurred talk that he will he will mount a bid against the president in 2020. In December, Kasich (R-OH) told Fox News Sunday he was “actively” mulling a presidential run and refused to rule out running as an independent.
“If all options are on the table, that means they are all on the table. We just have to see the development here,” Kasich said. “That’s the only thing I can tell you at this point. I am not trying to be coy. We are seriously looking at it. My folks talk and meet every week about it, the people that are involved politically. And at the end, I’ll make a decision.”
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