Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) says he has some issues with his party, but he could not imagine becoming a Democrat.
During an appearance on CNN on Tuesday, Kasich — who ran against former President Donald Trump in 2016 and has been a vocal critic of him — weighed in on the candidates running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Florida.
He singled out Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), who first won statewide office as a Republican and is now a Democrat.
“I would kind of lay my money down on Charlie Crist from the standpoint that he was a governor,” Kasich said.
He continued, “Here’s what’s so weird…Think about this, he was a Republican governor, and now he’s running for governor as a Democrat.”
“I mean, I don’t know how you do that…I’m upset with the Republican Party, but I couldn’t imagine all of a sudden announcing that I’m a Democrat. It’s just kind of weird to me,” Kasich added.
Watch the video below:
John Kasich: "I couldn't imagine all of a sudden announcing that I'm a Democrat. It's just kind of weird to me." pic.twitter.com/au68jDrhFT
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 23, 2022
Crist served as the governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and was elected as a Republican.
However, in 2010 he became an independent, and in 2012 he switched to become a Democrat.
In 2016, Crist won his bid to represent Florida’s 13th Congressional District.
Now he is running again to be the governor of Florida. If he wins the primary on Tuesday, he will face off against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
While Kasich told CNN he finds it “kind of weird” that Crist became a Democrat, he appeared in a video that was featured during the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
In case you missed it:
“He's unlike all of our best leaders before him who worked to unite us — to bridge our differences former," former Ohio Gov. John Kasich tells the DNC about President Trump.
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 18, 2020
"I'm a lifelong Republican. That attachment holds second place to my responsibility to country” pic.twitter.com/dM25sboJWB
At the time, Kasich blasted Trump as he said, “He’s unlike all of our best leaders before him who worked to unite us — to bridge our differences.”
“I’m a lifelong Republican. That attachment holds second place to my responsibility to country,” he added.
