News

Actions

GOP candidate Gov. John Kasich visits GVSU

Posted at 2:09 PM, Feb 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-15 14:09:47-05

ALLENDALE, Mich. —While he's from Ohio, Gov. John Kasich said he hopes Michigan voters can put that aside for awhile and support his bid for the presidency.

Kasich visited Grand Valley State Univesity Monday morning for a town hall meeting with students and others.  The event was sponsored by the Grand Valley College Republicans.

Kasich recently finished 2nd in the GOP New Hampshire Primary.

The Ohio governor touched on a variety of subjects and took questions from the crowd of several hundred who waited about an extra 40 minutes after Kasich's flight to Grand Rapids was delayed.  He took questions on Common Core, mental health care, medical and recreational marijuana, and the current state of bitter partisanship on almost all national issues.

Kasich decried that within hours of the death of Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia over the weekend, the political rhetoric over a replacement had escalated. He said we need to get things done as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats.

Kasich also addressed GVSU students, warning them to avoid drugs because he wants them to contribute to this country.  He also said that while he doesn't think the country should be putting people in jail for using marijuana, he also thinks that legalizing marijuana would send a mixed message to kids about avoiding drugs.

Kasich also touched on the importance of destroying ISIS and that the United States is a leader in the world.  He said if we aren't leading, the world will be worse off.

Kasich took one swipe at Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders who was also in Michigan on Monday, saying he supports Sanders for president...of Ben & Jerry's, because maybe we'd all get free ice cream.