Pittsburgh Native John Kasich Returns Home To Raise Money, Win Votes
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's been a while since the Pennsylvania primary has played such a large role in the race for president.
Candidates were all over the state on Tuesday, one week before that primary.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate, visited Pittsburgh today.
As he left the Duquesne Club, KDKA political editor Jon Delano snagged him.
"Hey, Jon, nice to see you."
Kasich was in town to meet delegate candidates and raise money at a $1,000 a head luncheon.
It was prelude to a stop in Market Square and a fish sandwich at the Old Oyster House.
Delano: "Hey governor, what kind of sauce is that?"
Kasich: "I'm not answering those personal questions."
Before eating outside the Duquesne Club, the governor talked about the importance of his growing up in McKees Rocks.
Delano: "Pittsburgh values. What are the Pittsburgh values that you want to take to the White House?"
Kasich: "It's all neighborhood. We don't wait around. I tell people all over the country that when I was a boy, our hero was Roberto Clemente. It's not the president, and we need to take care of one another. Fix our schools. Deal with the problem of poverty, of welfare, of education. We need to do it where we live."
To the crowd in Market Square, Kasich amplified.
"Jon asked me a question. He said, what is it, what are Pittsburgh values? And where I grew up, Pittsburgh values was that everybody kind of took care of everyone around them. My father carried the mail and he knew everybody in the neighborhood, and we were always taught by my mother and father that you got to look out for other people."
Kasich loves returning to see family members, including his Uncle George Kasich who confided, "When he was a young teenager, he liked to go to Isaly's for an ice cream cone out in Oakland."
The governor confirmed his love of ice cream.
"Wherever I can get ice cream, I'm all in favor," Kasich said. "Now that Lent's over, because I gave up ice cream for Lent, I'm like doubling and tripling down."
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Besides the good food, Kasich hopes his roots here will help him win.
"I think when people find out I have these Pittsburgh values that helps as well," he said.
Once again, Pennsylvania is a must-win state, not only in the general election, but increasingly in the Pennsylvania primary on April 26.
Kasich clearly wants to win his native state.