GOP Governors Converge in Boca for Association’s Annual Conference
By CRA News Service
About 30 Republican governors and governors-elects, including the biggest names in the GOP rumored to be considering a presidential run in 2016, were at the Boca Raton Resort and Club recently for the Republican Governors Association’s annual conference.
Among the attendees were Govs. Rick Scott and Scott Walker of Wisconsin who won hard-fought re-elections, Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Rick Perry of Texas, John Kasich of Ohio and Mike Pence of Indiana.
“Winning beats losing…,” said Christie, who passed the leadership reins to another GOP executive. “It’s always good to be here after you’ve won.”
Several governors showered Christie with praise after he helped raise more than $100 million for the group and traveled tens of thousands of miles to campaign for Republican candidates.
The Republican Party boosted the number of GOP governors holding office nationwide from 28 to 31 earlier this month.
The candidates seized the opportunity to repay their gratitude to Christie, who is mulling a 2016 presidential bid.
“In addition to great candidates, I really do believe that the Republican Governors Association benefited by great leadership and the tireless and relentless and cheerful efforts that Chris Christie put forth,” said Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, another GOP governor on the list of potential presidential candidates.
Pence went on to say “the country owes a debt of gratitude to Chris Christie.”
Five of the governors who are potential 2016 candidates participated in what became a sort of trial run for the coming presidential debates.
NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd moderated the panel with Walker, Pence, Perry, Jindal, and Kasich. The talk touched on immigration reform, the academic standards known as Common Core, and Medicaid health care programs for the poor.
Walker did less of the talking than some of the other potentials seeking a bid for the White House. But he did disagree, civilly but firmly, with Kasich on the wisdom of taking federal money to expand Medicaid health care for the needy as allowed by the federal Affordable Care Act.
Walker and GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin rejected the extra money while Kasich used it to expand coverage of the uninsured. Walker said that “true freedom and prosperity doesn’t come from the mighty hand of the government.”
Kasich countered that “Ronald Reagan expanded Medicaid” and repeated the point for emphasis.
But though the governors sparred repeatedly with Todd, the moderator, they largely supported one another.
“I think there are plenty of us up here that would be a great alternative to anything you’d see from the left,” Walker said.
Kasich paid Walker and the other men on stage a compliment in turn.
“Then you’ve got Walker. He runs for election every week. And he wins them all. Incredible,” Kasich said, joking about the fact that Walker ran for governor in 2010, then the 2012 recall election, then again in 2014.
They’re all friends now, but they could soon become fierce rivals.
