Phil Ammann
In the days before the crucial New Hampshire presidential primary, Republican governors battle it out on the airwaves over their respective conservative bona fides.
A new ad from Jeb Bush takes aim at fellow Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich for lacking a conservative record like Bush built during two terms as Florida’s executive-in-chief.
The attack follows Kasich’s well-received performance at Friday’s ABC News GOP debate.
“No Comparison,” is a nearly 90-second ad comparing Kasich’s record to Bush’s on several issues, suggesting Bush is far more conservative than Kasich.
On guns, the Bush ad points out that as a congressman, Kasich voted in 1994 to ban assault weapons. In contrast, Bush, “earned an A-plus rating from the NRA.”
The ad blasts Kasich efforts to expand Medicaid in Ohio, with Bush saying, “I don’t think we should be expanding a broken insurance system.”
A clip shows a younger Kasich saying, “I spent an entire career trying to reign in defense spending,” followed by Bush responding, “We need to rebuild the military. As president I will be a commander-in-chief that will have the back of the military.”
The ad also notes that the Cato Institute ranked Kasich a D rating for his state budget, versus Florida under Bush with the addition of 1.3 million jobs, 4.4 percent growth and eight balanced budgets.
“That is a conservative record,” said Fox News host Sean Hannity.
In an interview on Sunday, Kasich called the ad “desperation.”
