NEWS

Did John Kasich stand out in GOP forum?

Chrissie Thompson
cthompson@enquirer.com

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. – It turns out 14 is a lot of candidates.

Gov. John Kasich got two chances, a few questions in each, to stand out from the rest of the GOP field at Monday night's CSPAN-televised Voters First forum. So he talked up his experience helping to balance the federal budget in Congress and helping to lead Ohio when officials projected an $8 billion tax revenue shortfall.

"It's about record and accomplishment," Kasich said. "It's not about what I think I can do. It's about what I've already done."

The governor delivered a clear, error-free performance, even sneaking in a joke about LeBron James' moderating Thursday's Fox News debate in Cleveland. But who knows if his message sank in?

Not that it's Kasich's fault. With so many candidates and an interview-style format, the two-hour event lent itself to presidential wannabes squeezing in talking points.

The main event, the GOP's first debate, is Thursday, and after a boost in polling, Kasich will almost certainly finish among the 10 candidates who qualify. So Monday night's forum at Saint Anselm College served mostly as a chance for the rest of the GOP's 17-candidate field to show their stuff.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham cracked the best jokes, about what he called "Clintonspeak." (Hint: "I didn't have sex with that woman" made an appearance.)

A handful of audience members asked by The Enquirer said they were surprised and impressed by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.

For all three candidates, and a few others, the 14-person forum served as their only chance this week – perhaps one of their few chances this campaign – to contrast themselves with most of their competitors in a televised, group setting.

Two weeks ago, on the eve of his campaign launch, Kasich risked finding himself in that group. His results in national polls hovered in the 1 percent to 2 percent range, outside the top 10 required to finish in Thursday's first official GOP debate in Cleveland.

But he's received a polling boost in the days following his launch tour, climbing to 3 percent to 5 percent in the latest national polls. Fox News, host of the first debate, is expected to finalize its participant list Tuesday evening.

In New Hampshire, Kasich has made a more pronounced rise. He's finished as high as third in polls in the Granite State, which in February will host the nation's first primary. The Kasich-focused political action committee New Day for America kicked off major GOP spending in New England and has thus far bought nearly $4 million in advertising promoting the Ohio governor to New Hampshire's pragmatic voters.

Leading polls in New Hampshire and nationwide continues to be billionaire Donald Trump. He skipped Monday's forum. That means Monday may have been the only chance candidates such as Kasich have to stand out in an event free of Trump's outrageous comments.

But even without Trump – how to stand out with 14 candidates?

"That's going to be the issue until the field narrows," said John Weaver, chief strategist for Kasich's campaign. "You have to have someone who can speak to the everyman" – which Kasich did, Weaver said.

None of the voters among the handful asked by The Enquirer mentioned Kasich as a standout.

But as the evening drew to a close, and candidates wrapped up final interviews, about 15 reporters thronged around Kasich, asking him about his comments about helping the poor.

"That's who I am," Kasich said. "It is about the kitchen table, and it is about the family, and that's what I want people to hear from me."