John Kasich could be the GOP's secret weapon to win the White House next year — and the Ohio governor's willingness to accept last week's Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage only strengthens his presidential star power, Democratic strategist David Goodfriend tells
Newsmax TV.
"I have to tell you as a Democrat, I fear John Kasich. He'll be a formidable candidate in the general election," Goodfriend, former deputy staff secretary to President Bill Clinton, said Monday on "The Steve Malzberg Show."
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On Sunday, Kasich bucked the majority of Republican presidential candidates who say they'll do all they can to fight the Supreme Court's landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
He told
"Face the Nation" on CBS: "I believe in traditional marriage, but the Supreme Court has ruled, it’s the law of the land, and we’ll abide by it."
Goodfriend believes it’s a good strategy by Kasich, who is expected to joining the crowded field of contenders for the GOP presidential nomination on July 21st.
"What I see going on here is he's trying to say to the base 'either you want to win the White House or you don't. If you do, I'm your guy and my sanctions policies are going to get us there. If you don't, you can go with [Sen.] Ted Cruz or somebody else on the far right and we will lose,''' Goodfriend said.
"He's right and he would be a formidable opponent. I would much rather see Ted Cruz at the top of the Republican ticket than John Kasich as a Democrat myself."
Cruz says the same-sex marriage issue will be "front and center" in his campaign and that he plans to call for a Constitutional amendment ending the lifetime appointments of Supreme Court justices and making them subject to elections.
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