Former Ohio Governor John Kasich will speak on former Vice President Joe Biden’s behalf at the August Democratic National Convention.
A source “with direct knowledge” of the plans to have Kasich speak discussed them with the Associated Press.
The move to bring Kasich into the Democratic National Convention is part of a larger plan by the Biden team and Democrats to reach out to Republicans disaffected with President Trump.
Kasich’s expected speech on Biden’s behalf could also give the former vice president a boost in Ohio, a longtime swing state that has increasingly moved in Republicans’ favor in recent years. During his 2016 presidential bid, Ohio was the only state Kasich won.
Kasich isn’t the only Republican supporting Biden’s campaign to oust Trump in November. A handful of prominent Republicans founded a political action committee (PAC), The Lincoln Project, late last year to oppose the president’s reelection. The group has spent heavily on advertising criticizing Trump in recent months.
Kasich notably ran for the 2016 GOP nomination. He was the last challenger to withdraw from the primary. He won only one nominated contest – his home state of Ohio – during his bid for the White House.
After ending his White House bid, Kasich refused to endorse Trump citing that Trump was a dividing figure. However, he ruled out voting for Hillary Clinton.
This isn’t the first time politicians crossed party lines to appear at a National Convention on behalf of a presidential candidate.
In 2008, Connecticut Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman endorsed John McCain for President and spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention. However, McCain and Lieberman had a close relationship from their time in the Senate, and Lieberman was rumored to be a front runner to be McCain’s running mate.
