WASHINGTON — Ohio’s Republican Governor John Kasich on Sunday tried to shut down reports that he is considering an independent presidential bid in 2020 with Colorado’s Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper.
“Look, ‘Kasich-Hickenlooper,’ first of all, you couldn’t pronounce it and second of all, you couldn’t fit it on a bumper sticker,” Kasich said on Sunday’s “Meet The Press.”
When host Chuck Todd pointed out that those words weren’t a denial, Kasich flatly said, “the answer is ‘no,’ okay.”
Kasich was the last Republican to drop out of the presidential race in 2016 before Donald Trump clinched the nomination.
The Ohio governor, however, has not ruled out launching a bid for president again.
Kasich and Hickenlooper have done multiple public appearances together urging Congress to adopt a bipartisan approach to health care legislation, and their staffs have been working on trying to come up with a bipartisan proposal to improve the nation’s health insurance exchanges.
Hickenlooper on Friday also attempted to shut the rumors down, writing on Twitter, “Odd & funny that people expect a political marriage when 2 people from different parties work together… Kasich is dapper & worldly, but knows nada about brewing beer. Loving the attention on our bipartisan work… but no ulterior motive. Not a unity ticket, just working with a new friend on hard compromises.”
