Alabama Gov. Bentley endorsing Kasich for president

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley is to appear with Kasich Monday to announce he’s backing the Ohio governor.

“He didn’t call me and ask me to endorse him”.

“I think it relates to (issues) like early childhood education for kids, people who are in prison, giving them a chance to get their lives back if they want to earn their way there”, he said.

The 72-year-old Bentley was a past supporter and delegate for Mike Huckabee, the ex-governor of Arkansas who’s also running for president, and was at one time considered a potential White House contender himself.

Bentley’s endorsement of Kasich deserves attention because of the lack of gubernatorial endorsements at this stage of the presidential race.

Like Kasich, whose pursuit of policies such as expanding Medicaid to help the disadvantaged and increasing drilling taxes on oil and natural gas companies has been opposed by his Republican-controlled legislature, Bentley has bucked his own party on taxes.

“There’s a big difference between that poll in New Hampshire and everywhere else”. On Saturday, he said the GOP needs to elect a compassionate Republican who cares about the sick and disabled. “Governor Bentley had proactively reached out to Governor Kasich to offer his support”. “If we have a candidate that loves people, we’ll win because we’re on the right side of issues”.

“There’s a generosity of his spirit and his approach”, Mr. Rath said of Kasich, according to The Concord Monitor.

His campaign says the second-term governor and former congressman is planning to visit Columbia on Monday afternoon to file as a candidate in the primary slated for February 20.