Kasich tells Iowans: 'I am a change agent'

Speaking frankly and confidently, Ohio Gov. John Kasich suggested in Des Moines on Wednesday that he offers political leadership that can restore the nation's fiscal soundness, bolster the economy, protect the environment and help the country's poor.

The former chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee, who is exploring a possible presidential campaign, said he isn't interested in reading polls or conducting focus groups to advise him on policy, and he doesn't consider the Republican Party to be his master.

He called for an inclusive approach to governing, and he suggested major policy decisions must be made in a bipartisan manner to succeed.

"I am a change agent. All the change I want doesn't happen. But I am a change agent. I want to make things better," Kasich said during a speech to about 200 people at an event at the State Historical Building sponsored by the Iowa Caucus Consortium.

Kasich made an exploratory bid for the presidency in 1999, but it fell flat and caused him to withdraw even before the Iowa GOP's straw poll. This was his first foray into Iowa during the 2016 election cycle, although he has traveled to New Hampshire and South Carolina.

As the governor of a major state who won 86 of 88 counties in his 2014 re-election campaign, Kasich said he believes the American Dream can still be realized. Ohio is a microcosm of America that is urban, suburban and rural, with a range of ethnic groups, he said.

After Kasich became governor in 2010, the state's budget was in bad shape and hundreds of thousands of jobs had been lost as the state tried to rebound from the late-2000s recession. He had a 28 percent public approval rating his first year, but he said he worked to cut taxes and restore a budget surplus, while adding 360,000 jobs and diversifying the state's economy.

But economic growth shouldn't be an end in itself, he said, suggesting that government also has a role in helping people who are mentally ill, addicted to drugs or who otherwise need assistance getting back on their feet. The minority community should also feel that it is being listened to so it can be a partner with other groups, he said.

"Everyone hasn't been lifted yet, but our message is that we want you to be lifted. We want you to be successful," said Kasich, who grew up near Pittsburgh in a working-class family.

Kasich said that over time the Renewable Fuel Standard, which that requires transportation fuel sold in the U.S. to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels, should be eliminated. But he added, "Look, I am not going to shut it down and put a lot of people out of work in my state."

The Iowa and Ohio Democratic parties issued a statement Wednesday accusing Kasich of "gutting funding for local governments, resulting in increased taxes and fees," and said he signed tax cuts, with half the benefits going to the top 5 percent of earners.

The parties also said he slashed $1.8 billion from Ohio's public schools and worked in the private sector with Lehman Brothers' investment banking division until its bankruptcy and collapse in 2008.

State Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa, R-Council Bluffs, who helped to coordinate Kasich's trip to Iowa, said she felt he made a good first impression.

"I think he has a very plain-spoken manner, and that appeals to Midwesterners and Iowans," she said.

Undocumented mom meets Kasich

Ohio Gov. John Kasich's visit to Iowa began with an unscheduled meeting at the Iowa State Fairgrounds with an Ohio mother who is an undocumented immigrant.

The woman, who identified herself only as Maria, said she came to the U.S. 13 years ago from Peru. She now resides in Stow, in northeast Ohio. She was joined by her 11-year-old son, Andrew, who wore an Ohio State Buckeyes cap and a red T-shirt that read, "The future is here."

The woman said she had been frustrated in efforts to discuss her immigration concerns at the Ohio Capitol with Kasich. So she flew to Des Moines, where the governor made a stop Wednesday morning at the 2015 National Junior High Finals Rodeo, which had young people from Ohio participating.

Kasich chatted briefly with the woman and her son, and an adviser to the governor gave her his business card and promised to be in touch.

"They are good people. They are made in the image of the Lord," Kasich told reporters later, asking compassion for the mother and her child.

He said that if undocumented immigrants are law-abiding and register, they should be able to stay here, although he favors tightening border security. He also endorses a penalty for people who have "ditched the line" by crossing the border illegally.

Maria said she hopes to stay in the U.S. through President Barack Obama's executive action to allow certain undocumented immigrants to remain in the country. The president's order is being litigated in the federal courts.

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said Ohio's attorney general didn't need the governor's blessing to become involved in the lawsuit, and the groups' request could not be done constitutionally. But a staff lawyer still met with them, he said.

Wednesday's events

SETTING: Kasich visited the 2015 National Junior High Finals Rodeo at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, and he spoke to the Iowa Caucus Consortium at the State Historical Building in Des Moines and to the Bull Moose Club, a group of young conservatives, at the Des Moines Embassy Club. He then headed to Council Bluffs to meet students at Iowa Western Community College.

CROWD: About 200 people at the State Historical Museum, and about 50 at the Bull Moose Club.

REACTION: Kasich appeared to be well received at both speeches, getting polite and enthusiastic applause.

WHAT'S NEXT: Kasich said he plans to decide soon whether he will enter the crowded Republican presidential contest, adding: "I am optimistic that things are moving in the right direction."