Kasich, the former GOP Whip in the U.S. House under Speaker Newt Gingrich, and leader of the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994, also said that the state's difficult budget situation will make it difficult to begin phasing out the state income tax in his first term. He has espoused a goal of eliminating the tax in virtually every campaign stop.

Kasich said that he will consider expansion of legalized gambling from the viewpoint of whether it makes sense for the state.

"I'm not ideologically opposed to gambling," the former congressman said. "I haven't made up my mind on it, but I'm not going to say we're not going to do it and pound my fist on the table. We'll have to see, and that doesn't mean we are going to do it. We'll have to take a really hard look at it."

Kasich said he is not sure what state-sanctioned gambling "ought to look like, although I have a sense that the state ought to own it and lease it if it's going to work."

As governor, he said he would ensure that the state gets a maximum return from gambling operations and that proceeds are used to reduce taxes, not fill budget holes.






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