Kasich ready to make push in Iowa; plans Cedar Rapids visit

CEDAR RAPIDS - Iowans gave John Kasich such an enthusiastic welcome the few times he's campaigned here that the Ohio governor wants to spend more time in the first-in-the-nation state.

'It really excited him about coming to Iowa more,” Cory Crowley, Kasich's Iowa campaign director, said.

Kasich, who has been running a 'New Hampshire-or-bust” campaign, will make his fourth trip to Iowa Saturday to participate in an Americans for Peace Prosperity and Security national security forum in Sioux City and a fundraiser for his Iowa campaign chairwoman, Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa, R-Council Bluffs. Then Sept. 30, he'll make campaign appearances in the Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids.

His Cedar Rapids town hall meeting will be at the Iowa Startup Accelerator, 415 12th Ave. SE. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the program scheduled to start at 5:45.

The stepped up campaign in Iowa is part of a new strategy developed as Kasich's numbers have risen in polls and in the wake of two positive performances in debates among the candidates for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, Crowley said.

'Kasich has always said he won't skip Iowa, but his campaign also has been pretty clear about a strategy with a big focus on New Hampshire,” said Crowley, a Cedar Rapids native whose Washington-based firm specializes in political strategy and governmental relations.

Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia Center for Politics includes Kasich in his 'Long-Distance Runners” class of 2016 hopefuls along with Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. His strategy appears to be aimed at a strong finish in New Hampshire that would make him a 'pre-eminent establishment choice,” especially if he finishes ahead of Jeb Bush, Sabato said.

'Beating Bush could potentially encourage many insiders to reconsider their support for Bush and shift over to Kasich,” Sabato said.

Iowa may be fertile for him, too, Crowley said, and getting a late start here may actually help Kasich.

'There was room for another person with a lot of experience in the race,” Crowley said. 'He's unique in having served in Congress where he was budget chair and actually balanced the budget, and because he's been governor of the seventh largest state.”

Kasich also is unique among the GOP field as the only sitting governor running who has a net positive approval rating in his home state, he added.

Expectations for Kasich in Iowa are relatively low because he's less well-known, in part, because of his New Hampshire focus, Crowley said. He speculates that because of the large field this year, there may be five ticket out of Iowa rather than the traditional three.

'I think a top five finish would be far better than most people expect he would do in Iowa,” Crowley said. However, if the field continues to shrink, Kasich will have to do better than fifth.