Republican leaders continued to stress party unity and solidarity the final day of the Cleveland convention. But many in Ohio, including the governor, are still not in sync with the national party’s approval of Donald Trump.
Making a surprise appearance Thursday at a breakfast for Ohio delegates, Gov. John Kasich indirectly addressed his steadfast refusal to endorse Trump and attend the convention.
Calling himself the “father of Ohio” for listening to the people and heeding their will, Kasich spoke of standing on principle.
“There are a lot of people wondering, what am I doing,” said Kasich, who acknowledged the headache he’s caused Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges this week as Buckeye Republicans remain torn between supporting Trump or walking with their governor.
Borges said he was going to pass out “Ohio Against the World” T-shirts for delegates to wear to the convention Thursday night, when Trump took the stage to accept the nomination.
The Trump campaign attacked Kasich this week, calling his lack of support “embarrassing” to the state.
The New York Times reported Trump’s son, Donald Jr., offered Kasich a position as “the most powerful vice president in history.” Trump’s communications adviser has denied Kasich was offered the vice presidency.
After dodging media questions for the past three days of the convention, the governor addressed the Ohio breakfast then slipped out a back door, leaving the media to again decipher his reluctance to say Donald Trump’s name.
“We need to unify. We do not need to divide,” he told the mostly welcoming crowd.
“I have no freaking idea what that means,” said Tony Maas, a Cincinnati-area businessman who attended the Ohio breakfast.
Maas and fellow businessman Ken Jones stood out in the breakfast crowd as the only two sporting Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again” ball caps.
The men appreciated comments from Sen. Rob Portman, who spoke in favor of Trump and his vice presidential pick, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
“The ticket, the Trump-Pence ticket, is going to be the right ticket to win in November,” said Portman, up for re-election to the U.S. Senate and leading Gov. Ted Strickland in recent polls.
“Finally, someone stood up in the room and said, ‘Let’s go Trump. Let’s go Pence,’ ” Jones said. A Pro-Life button pinned to his chest depicted the proportional size of a fetus’ feet at 10 weeks, ringed by a thorny crown emblematic of Jesus Christ.
The Pence pick has placated critics who have questioned whether Trump is conservative enough on some issues, including abortion and traditional marriage.
Ohio Republicans, while standing firm on their principles, have taken a more practical stance on issues that may drive away the state’s more moderate voters this fall. On immigration, they focus on economic benefits, not building walls. On international trade, they discuss agricultural exports instead of Trump’s call to start strong-arm trade negotiations.
But on supporting Trump to avoid what many call another four years of President Barack Obama’s if Hillary Clinton is elected, there’s clear division in Ohio.
“We don’t need anybody holding us back from that, especially our governor,” Maas said.
In his concluding remarks, Borges said he spoke with Trump about how the dispute with Kasich is hurting the party’s chances this fall.
“We need to be fighting against Hillary Clinton this year,” Borges said he told Trump, “and he agreed with me. So we’re going to move forward in that manner and I want everyone to go out there. Don’t hold back. Go out and support our entire ticket. We need to win this year and Ohio is going to be the key to that.”
Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792, dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter: douglivingstonabj. M.L Schultze and WKSU contributed to this report.