Republican presidential candidate John R. Kasich, made a campaign stop at KSU for a town hall speech and meeting Wednesday at noon. However, many students were unaware that he had been at KSU, and many others reported being unfamiliar with him.
In a survey of about 100 KSU students, 49 percent of them said they do not know who Kasich is, and 44 percent of the students did not know he was coming to campus.
Despite Kasich’s low showings in recent primaries, the Carmichael Student Center was packed as students and community members lined up at the University Rooms to hear him speak. Attendees included people of mixed opinions about the Ohio governor.
The town hall began with a 25-minute speech from Kasich about his background. He discussed where and how he grew up as the son of a mailman, how he became interested in politics, and his role in creating jobs and balancing the budget as the governor of Ohio. He later spoke at length about foreign policy, the national debt, unemployment and college debt.
“We made a promise to these millennials that, if you go to college, you’ll get a good job, and somehow that promise has been broken,” Kasich said.
He mentioned giving employers incentives to help college students with their loans and the possibility of students being able to renegotiate loans or pay based on income, though none of those were certainties.
“Anything is possible, keep your idealism, and go out and change the world,” Kasich said to the college students. “And in the meantime, I’m going to do whatever I can, hopefully along with other elected officials, to create a job-creating environment, so you can get work,”
After his speech, Kasich took questions on several topics, including what KSU students should do to have their complaints about housing heard, how he plans on securing the Republican nomination, and what the country’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis should be.
Students had varying reasons for why they attended the event and vastly different outlooks on Kasich’s campaign.
“Part of my reason for going was that I’m actually rather undecided about him, as well as the other GOP candidates,” Jordan Baker, a senior international affairs major, said. “I got a better sense of his policies that are important to me.”
Ryan Matzkow, a freshman finance major, is wary about Kasich’s ability to last as a presidential candidate.
“He’s a really good guy, he’s done a lot of great things, but I think a vote for him at this point isn’t going to do very much,” Matzkow said. “For him in the future, I think he’d make a good vice president or something. It’s just at this point in the polls he’s so far behind the other guys.”
Kendall Johnson, a sophomore business major, attended the town hall meeting to learn more about him in an effort to stay informed.
“I think this is a really important election, so I’m here to further educate myself about what’s going on and who the candidates are,” Johnson said. “The debate is coming up Thursday, and if he plays his cards right, I think he can get enough fire behind him to make a statement.”
Zach Beaverson, a sophomore majoring in history education, is facing the challenge of choosing a new candidate, but he is doubtful that Kasich can make a comeback with his low numbers in the primaries.
“Jeb Bush left, so I’ve got to figure out who to vote for,” Beaverson said. “I know he’s an Ohio governor, and I know he’s done what every other candidate has, besides Jeb Bush, and that’s be able to be a good leader in a swing state.”
Josh Wilson, a junior international business major, was a little more hopeful.
“I’m hoping that once people listen to him and hear some of his ideals that he might garner a little more support here and win a few states,” Wilson said. “Down here in the South, I don’t think he has a chance, honestly. He’d have to get a few states out in the Midwest and get some liberal votes to make a comeback.”
Alex Koehlke, a senior political science major, also thinks Kasich can make a comeback.
“If he focuses on the right states, really starts to get his name out there, before the primaries, especially, I think he’ll be fine,” Koehlke said. “He’s willing to compromise, be more bipartisan, which I think we need.”
Georgia voters will participate in ‘super Tuesday’ March 1 when several states in the southeast cast their ballot for the nomination.
