Republican presidential candidate John Kasich secured his second endorsement by a U.S. senator late Wednesday.
Less than a day after the Ohio governor won the Buckeye State’s GOP primary, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., announced his pick for the Oval Office.
“Out of the three still in the race for president, John is my guy. I served with John in Congress when he successfully spearheaded the effort to balance the federal budget and, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, helped President Reagan enact his national security agenda,” Inhofe said in a statement.
But instead of solely celebrating the candidate’s professional accomplishments, Inhofe also mentioned a personal connection he had to Kasich.
“During this time [in Congress], I also attended a weekly Bible study with him for eight years. You learn a lot about a person when you attend a Bible study together, so I can tell you personally that he is a man of his word. When he talked, people listened. Now the country is listening to his message of optimism and results. That’s refreshing,” Inhofe said.
Inhofe, ranked by multiple magazines as one of the Senate’s most outstanding conservative members, was two weeks late to helping Kasich in the Oklahoma primary, which took place March 1; nevertheless, the new supporter puts Kasich ahead of fellow Republican candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz for having the highest number of current senatorial endorsements.
He had endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in January, but Rubio dropped out of the race on Tuesday after failing to win his home state’s primary.
“It is an incredible honor to receive the support of my friend and former colleague, Senator Jim Inhofe,” Kasich said in response. “Jim is a role model to several generations of conservatives, and I trust his expertise and judgment implicitly. He knows Oklahoma voters better than just about anyone, so it’s a major win to have him in our corner going forward.”
