MSNBC personality Chris Matthews hopes former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, and then chooses Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, as her running mate. Matthews, who has known Kasich for several decades, has a personal affinity for the governor.
“I’d like Hillary Clinton, I’d like to see her up about five or 10 points after her convention, or going into her convention, which is the second convention, and picking John Kasich and blowing everybody’s mind,” Matthews said. “That would just blow everybody’s mind. McCain talked about doing it, picking Joe Lieberman.”
Matthews admitted that he did not think it would happen, but hoped he “could stir something” up just by saying it. But this is not the first time Matthews has publicly stated his desire to see Kasich in higher office.
As Kasich coasted to victory on election night in 2014 — winning 86 of Ohio’s 88 counties — Matthews said he thought the governor should be considered a top choice for holding higher office. Republican voters, Matthews said, should view Kasich as a potential candidate with all of “the advantages of Rick Santorum without the insanity.”
“I think he looks very good as a potential running mate,” Matthews said on Election Day in 2014. “He’s got that working class thing going for him, the ethnic thing going for him.”
While Kasich appears to be winning Matthews’ vote for whatever office he chooses to pursue, just 2 percent of Republican voters support him as a presidential contender, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls. Kasich’s support for the controversial Common Core educational standards, defense of expanding Medicaid in his state and openness to a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants has rankled some conservative voters he could need to win the GOP nomination. Kasich is expected to make a decision about running for higher office later this summer.
