Sections of the Republican party have remained opposed to Donald Trump ever since he joined the race to be the party's nominee for the 2016 Presidential elections. Many of them have been put off by the lack of coherence that the current US President has, some by his abrasive style, and some by the absence of depth in his thinking.
Many of those in the Republican Party who publicly opposed Trump have paid for their honesty. They ended up losing their supporters and eventually, elections. But a small undercurrent of opposition to President Trump has remained within the GOP.
Now, in a shocking move, former Governor of Ohio and a major leader of Republican Party, John Kasich, who was also one of Trump's rivals in the 2016 primaries, has decided to address the Democratic Party's National Convention where Joe Biden will be officially declared their candidate for the post of President.
If media reports are to be believed, the former Governor isn't merely going to speak at the convention but express his support for the challenger Biden in the upcoming November election. This is a big jolt to Republicans who are already reeling under the pressure of the President seeming way behind his opponent in poll numbers.
To make things worse, even the usual fortress of the Grand Old Party, Texas, seems to be more vulnerable than before and could go either way. Already, Ted Cruz, Trump's main rival in the 2016 primaries, has stated that if Texas turns blue, the election is gone for Trump.
The decision to invite Kasich to the convention was, most probably, taken by Biden campaign with an eye to get those Republican voters on their side who may be reluctant to vote against their party's choice despite disliking the President. The information was given to news agency AP by an anonymous source.
'We Welcome the Support'
There hasn't been an official confirmation of this report but Biden campaign's deputy manager Kate Bedingfield has made a statement that doesn't contradict the report. "In terms of Republican supporters, I think it speaks to a career of being able to work across the aisle, of being able to actually get things done. We welcome the support of anybody who'd rather see Joe Biden be president than Donald Trump," she stated.
Kasich, who has a very different style of communicating than Trump – soft and mellow instead of loud and bombastic – has been one of the Republicans to criticize the President over the last few years.
Even in 2016, attempts had been made by the Hillary Clinton campaign to get some Republicans on her side. She gave an interview to Fox News, watched mainly by conservatives, and her team also rehashed an old ad that was used against Barry Goldwater in the 1964 elections by Lyndon B Johnson's campaign.
Whether Kasich's appearance does move some Republicans to vote against their instincts, only time will tell.
