The man who helped get George W. Bush elected twice says tonight’s (Thurs) Republican primary debate in Cleveland will likely give Governor John Kasich a bump. Karl Rove told a small gathering in the city last night that there are so many candidates because it’s so much easier now to raise money. Ideastream’s Mark Urycki reports..
Karl Rove says candidates will start dropping out in February when it will cost $30 million dollars just for TV ads. The first primaries award delegates proportionally.
“But watch the Ides of March, Julius Caesar had a bad day that day and some candidates are gonna have bad days that day because that’s the day we go live on ‘winner take all’.”
The Ohio legislature this spring pushed back the state’s primary to make it a winner take all affair, a boost to Governor Kasich’s campaign. Rove said Kasich’s timing has been masterful to get into the main debate and be noticed.
“Look, he won’t become the front runner but he’ll do himself a lot of good.”
Rove, once called “Bush’s Brain,” told a Cleveland gathering the debate won’t make or break a candidate but it can be helpful for little known contenders like Governor John Kasich
“You’re going to hear him talk about how he served for 18 years on the Armed Services Committee and understand the dangerous world we live in, how he was chairman of the budget committee, the last time we balanced the budget and he knows what the fiscal posture of the county is. And you’re going to hear talk about Ohio and all three of things are going to be compelling.”
The Republican strategist suggests that candidates drive home 2 or 3 main points and be authentic.
“This is gonna be one of Trump’s great strengths because look, anything he says he believes, at that moment.”
Rove talked about Hillary Clinton several times referring to her only as “her” or “she.” He says Clinton has too many negatives to get elected president and added the Democrats have no viable alternatives.
Rove says Republicans can win in Democratic areas if they’re willing to campaign there. He says getting a Democrat to switch their vote in Cuyahoga County counts for two because it would add one Republican vote and take away one Democratic vote.
The event at the Cibreo restaurant in Cleveland was sponsored by the Ralph and Mary Regula Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement at the University of Mount Union, the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, and the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at The University of Akron. Former Congressman Ralph Regula and Ohio's House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger attended.