At a lunch on Friday with reporters, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he’s still weighing a presidential bid, but he explained that his ability to raise money will largely determine if he runs. “Without the resources, you can’t do it,” he said. “I’ve tried it before,” referring to his short-lived bid in 2000.
Kasich, a Republican, declined to lay out any date or timetable for a final decision. “There is not a date, but we’ll know.”
Last month, Kasich told NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” that he was “more and more serious” about a White House bid. “Look, all my options are on the table here. And I'm, you know, more and more serious, or I wouldn't be doing these things.” That includes forming a 527 political organization as he mulls a potential run.
Also at the lunch sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, Kasich defended expanding Medicaid under the federal health-care law in his state – which angered some conservative Republicans. “I got money that I can bring home to Ohio,” he said.
Kasich also said he believes that marriage is between a man and woman. But if the Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage in the state – voters in 2004 passed a constitutional amendment banning it in Ohio – he would attend a gay wedding, if invited by friends. “I have a number of friends who are gay,” he said. “They know how I feel about it.”
