If Republicans want to win the White House next year, they should root for a ticket with John Kasich as president and Marco Rubio as his running mate, writes Myra Adams at the National Review. Adams knows that Kasich will take a hit on the right for not being "conservative enough," but she thinks this pairing does best with the "Buckley rule"—that is, it's the most conservative team that can still get elected. Among her reasons:
- Electoral college: Republicans have a narrow path to victory, but if Kasich delivers his home state of Ohio and Rubio does the same with Florida, that's two essential steps forward.
- Demographics: Kasich "is the Baby Boomer son of a mailman, and in 2016 he will be age 64—which qualifies him as 'old' and 'vanilla,'" writes Adams. Rubio provides a great counter-balance: the young son of Cuban immigrants who speaks fluent Spanish. His "ethnicity offers a much-needed facelift to the sagging jowls of the Grand Old (White) Party electorate." He gives the GOP a chance with young voters and Hispanic ones.
- Stealing votes: Kasich's brand of compassionate conservatism as Ohio governor and his Midwest roots give him the best chance of all the GOP candidates of drawing "independents, moderates, and conservative Democrats from traditional Blue states." Without those votes, the GOP probably loses.
Click for the
full column, in which Adams points out a bonus for Republicans: After two terms as VP, Rubio could run for president at the young age of 53. (More
John Kasich 2016 stories.)
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