Ohio Governor John Kasich held a town hall this afternoon in Manchester, New Hampshire. An audience of about 60 people came to Manchester’s American Legion Sweeney Post 2 for an hour of Kasich conversation.
Kasich spoke with the press afterwards, fielding questions focused on the San Bernadino killings, including whether gun control is part of a solution, whether the attacks are “being politicized” and whether increased intelligence efforts should be directed at domestic plots and actions. He rejected the notion of gun control, instead urging addressing intelligence-gathering challenges posed by encryption and returned to his oft-stated goal of increased mental health services.
I asked Kasich, who spoke powerfully about combating radical islamic terrorism, how he can separate himself on this issue from the other Republican candidates. “Imitation is the highest form of flattery” responded Kasich, saying that he was the first candidate to address ISIS. “I don’t worry about that, I just do my job” he added.