The 2016 presidential primaries were a brutal fight to see which of the 17 Republican candidates would win their party’s nomination to take on Democrat Hillary Clinton.
In prevailing, President Trump utilized some brash tactics and created a couple of enemies along the way.
Then-candidate Trump said Jeb Bush lacked energy and fervor as a way to show he could not put up a fight against Clinton, or against the Washington Swamp. It worked.
Trump called Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio “little Marco” as a way to make him look inexperienced and young. It worked.
With each challenger, Trump had a strategy and it worked.
As the calendar approached the May primary election, all the warring dwindled down the mega-pool of candidates to just three: Trump, Cruz, and Kasich. The last of these is eyeing another clash with Trump.
As ABC News reports, Kasich is “very seriously” considering taking on Trump in 2020.
From the report:
On “This Week” Sunday, outgoing Republican Gov. John Kasich and recently re-elected Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown said they are considering their options, but that they have no plans to announce as of yet.
“Very seriously. I’m considering it,” Kasich told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos when asked how serious he was about a 2020 run against President Trump.
— Advertisement — “These are earnest conversations that go on virtually every day with some of my friends, with my family,” Kasich added, noting that he doesn’t know when he will have to make a final decision.
According to the report, Kasich is term-limited as Ohio governor so he is unable to seek re-election to his post.
Also, should he run, this would not be his first time seeking the top office as he unsuccessfully ran in 2016 and previously in 2000.
Kasich, during the interview, noted he may also consider running on a third-party ticket in 2020. He said the option would be situational.
“Let’s just say that Donald Trump is nominated and Elizabeth Warren is nominated, and you have this ocean of people who sit in the middle. Is there a legitimate opportunity for a third party, bipartisan kind of ticket to be able to – to score a victory or to have a profound impact on the future of American politics?” Kasich asked, per ABC News.
Fellow Ohioan, Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown, may also be considering a run against President Trump.
“I haven’t made trips to Iowa or New Hampshire, I haven’t done any of those things to prepare,” Brown said on “This Week.” “But we’re seriously thinking about it. We’re seriously talking about it with family and friends and political allies who have come to me about this.”
From the report:
Brown, also 66, won re-election to the U.S. Senate earlier this month despite a trend favoring Republicans statewide in Ohio. While Brown handily won re-election, Democrats did not fare as well in the state’s gubernatorial election, with Republican Mike DeWine winning by 4 percent over Democrat Richard Cordray.
Brown said that he wants his message, and the message of Democrats everywhere, to be about the “dignity of work,” which includes honoring and respecting “all workers whether they punch a clock or swipe a badge, whether they’re raising kids, whether they’re working on salary, working for tips.”