Ohio Gov. John Kasich is still mulling a 2016 Republican presidential bid, but one thing he knows for certain is that his potential Democratic competitor, Hillary Clinton, should not be underestimated.
“She’ll be a very formidable candidate,” Kasich said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. He added while Clinton is facing several problems, “anybody that underestimated Hillary Clinton I think makes a mistake. You know, they underestimated her husband.”
Kasich, a former congressman and managing director at Lehman Brothers before its collapse in 2008, even went as far to say Clinton could win his crucial, swing state of Ohio in the general election.
The Republican – seen as a long shot presidential candidate – said if he does decide to run, it will only be for the Oval Office, and not vice president.
“This is not like, ‘Well let me try and if it doesn’t work I’ll try again or if it doesn’t work I’ll be vice president or something,’ insisted Kasich. “I’m not interested in any of that. So either I feel like I could win, or there’s no reason to do it.”
Kasich, who has been visiting early voting states including New Hampshire and South Carolina, added the decision will have a lot with whether or not he has the financial resources to mount a competitive bid.
So far, on the GOP side, Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky have officially said they are running for the Republican nomination. On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she too will seek the presidency in 2016.
