Ohio's top Democratic Party official reportedly wants Gov. John Kasich to reimburse the state "for every single penny" his doomed presidential campaign cost state taxpayers.
As reports circulated Wednesday that Kasich would
officially scrap his White House bid in the wake of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's dominating win in Indiana,
Democratic Chairman David Pepper blasted out the curt demand.
"We hope that the Kasich administration will provide a full accounting of the cost to Ohio taxpayers and Kasich's campaign will reimburse the state for every single penny that his failed campaign cost the taxpayers of Ohio," Pepper said in his statement.
According to the
Columbus Dispatch, the State Highway Patrol alone — required by law to protect Kasich no matter where he goes — racked up about $343,000 in costs since the governor's campaign began.
"Since last March, Governor John Kasich has spent more than 200 days out of state, pursuing his presidential ambitions and ignoring the needs of the people of Ohio," Pepper charged in his statement.
"Our state has trailed the national average in job growth for 40 straight months. Our public school system has plummeted from fifth in the nation to 23rd. Eight of our 10 biggest cities are economically distressed, and there are more Ohio kids living in poverty today than there were at the height of the Great Recession back in 2008."
"It's time that Ohio had a governor who was actually doing something about all of that, rather than gallivanting across the country."
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