COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Ohio Gov. John Kasich (KAY’-sik) was among Republicans who had unsuccessfully urged New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to enter the fray for the party’s 2012 presidential nomination.
Christie announced Tuesday he would not run for president, refusing to bow to pressure from GOP donors and other fans. The first-term Republican governor was wooed for his national star power and no-nonsense public persona.
The Columbus Dispatch reports in Tuesday’s editions (http://bit.ly/mVEmiK ) that Kasich had called Christie to encourage him to run. Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols tells the newspaper the Ohio governor thought Christie would be a good candidate.
The Dispatch reports Kasich had liked Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour as a presidential candidate, but Barbour also decided earlier this year not to pursue the Republican nomination.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com