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GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — John Kasich proudly cites his efforts while in Congress to cut what he believed was wasteful defense spending. But allies for Republican presidential rival Jeb Bush see a potential vulnerability for Kasich in military-minded South Carolina.
An outside group backing Bush has begun airing a television ad ahead of the Feb. 20 primary, using Kasich’s own words. It’s an effort to undermine Kasich in a state that’s home to a number of military installations, including the Army’s Fort Jackson and the Marine Corps’ Parris Island.
Kasich and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are denouncing the broadside, but it’s clear that the rivalry between Kasich, the Ohio governor, and Bush, a former Florida governor, is intensifying. Gingrich won South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary in 2012 and served with Kasich in Congress.