IOWA CAUCUSES

Kasich launches ads, criticism of Trump

Brianne Pfannenstiel
bpfannenst@dmreg.com
Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks during a town hall meeting in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union at Iowa State University in Ames , Monday, Nov. 30, 2015.

AMES, Ia. – Ohio Gov. John Kasich took a swing at fellow Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Monday in Ames – the same day his campaign launched a new web ad attacking the businessman.

"You know I’m having a little problem with one of the candidates for president," he told the group of about 70 people at Monday's town hall at Iowa State University. "If you’re going to attack women, if you’re going to attack ... Hispanics, if you’re going to attack Muslims, you’re going to attack somebody who has a disability – that’s not what we want in a leader is it? I don’t think anybody wants that. So we need to move beyond that. And we need to move beyond all the anger."

His campaign launched an ad with similar rhetoric Monday. The spot, which was produced by the campaign in-house and will only air on YouTube, shows Trump giving a speech in which he appears to mock a physically disabled reporter before asking whether Trump is "worthy" to serve as president. It follows a similar ad the campaign released last week and reflects Kasich's increasingly critical take on his opponent.

He told reporters after his question-and-answer session that the ads are not intended to be personal attacks on Trump.

"It’s about what I think we need to be able to lead the country," he said. "And I think there’s a lot of people that are glad that I’m finally speaking out, because nobody else is. It’s a call to unify, not to divide."

Trump began criticizing Kasich during October's GOP debate, and he has followed up by launching barbs against the governor in Iowa and elsewhere.

"John Kasich should focus his special interest money on building up his failed image, not negative ads on me," Trump tweeted during a heated Twitter exchange Nov. 20.

Kasich on Monday lamented the polarization of the country and said he is the person who can bridge the partisan divide to unite the country.

"We’ve gotten to the point in this country where if somebody doesn’t think the way I think, we question their patriotism. We question their motives," he said. "We don’t want to live like that."

Brian Voss, an Iowa State senior studying history and secondary education, said he plans to caucus for Kasich in February. He said he likes that Kasich appears more willing than other Republicans to compromise with Democrats.

"I think he showed today he has the ability to work across the aisle," Voss said. "I liked how he talked about criminal justice reform and mental health and how that’s important to him – as it is to some other candidates. But he actually has real plans in place, I think, to take care of that while some other candidates in the Republican Party seem to lack that."

The latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll shows Kasich at 2 percent in Iowa. He's polling better in New Hampshire, where an average of polls shows him at 7.8 percent.

AT THE EVENT

SETTING: The Memorial Union at Iowa State University in Ames.

CROWD: About 70 people attended the event.

REACTION: The event drew a mix of people, ranging from those who say they are ready to caucus for Kasich to those who have registered as Democrats and said they were just curious about what he has to say.

WHAT’S NEXT: Kasich was scheduled to attend an event earlier in the day in Cedar Rapids, but had to postpone it because of weather issues. That will be rescheduled at a later date. Check DesMoinesRegister.com/candidatetracker for details.