Ohio Gov. John Kasich wrote in Sen. John McCain for president, the GOP’s 2008 nominee, on his absentee ballot this year.
Chris Schrimpf, the governor's political spokesman, confirmed the write-in vote to cleveland.com and said Kasich voted straight-ticket Republican on the rest of his ballot. Schrimpf added that Kasich was comfortable picking McCain, the 2008 GOP nominee for president, over Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Libertarian Gary Johnson, a former Republican on the ballot as a nonpartisan candidate.
The vote essentially is a symbolic gesture. Because McCain is not among the 18 certified write-in candidates in Ohio, Kasich's vote for president will not count.
Kasich’s protest of Trump included not showing up at the Republican National Convention, despite being governor of the state it was held in. He also long pledged not to vote for Trump, even though initially he was among four Republican candidates who said they would support the nominee, whoever it ended up being.
The video released of Trump’s lewd comments last month was the last straw for Kasich, apparently.
"Donald Trump is a man I cannot and should not support," Kasich said in an Oct. 8 statement. "The actions of the last day are disgusting, but that's not why I reached this decision, it has been an accumulation of his words and actions that many have been warning about. I will not vote for a nominee who has behaved in a manner that reflects so poorly on our country. Our country deserves better."
