Medicaid Expansion Driving a Wedge Between DeWine and Kasich

Tension Rising After Kasich Endorsement Snub 

The awkward dance between Mike DeWine and John Kasich is just beginning. Gov. Kasich is “drawing a line in the sand” on the preservation of Medicaid expansion and is withholding his endorsement. It seems like he may have noticed DeWine’s less than friendly rhetoric towards his administration’s policies.
From the Columbus Dispatch report:

Of course Mike DeWine wants the endorsement of the fellow Republican he wants to succeed as Ohio governor.
…Kasich is balking at endorsing DeWine following his GOP gubernatorial primary victory on Tuesday, instead adopting a wait-and-see attitude given the attorney general’s positions on the pair of his priorities.
…DeWine would at least partially dismantle Kasich’s expansion of health care to the working poor and others as financially unsustainable

DeWine’s campaign says he’s looking forward to meeting with Kasich, but it might be a little more contentious than they think. DeWine spent most of the primary bashing Kasich’s policies, including his choice to expand Medicaid.
And on primary night, DeWine refused to apologize saying, “we didn’t do anything in the campaign or say anything that we didn’t believe.”
That includes these mailers attacking the Kasich legacy:



That looks a lot like he crossed Kasich’s line in the sand…
“Mike DeWine spent the last year attacking the Kasich legacy, so it’s no wonder Kasich wouldn’t want to endorse him,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director David Turner. “DeWine would ‘dismantle’ Kasich’s top policy achievement and threaten the health care of 700,000 Ohioans. Kasich’s endorsement snub has made an awkward situation even worse.”