Mike Huckabee considers Ohio Gov. John Kasich a friend, but he still thinks it's "shameful" that he isn't showing up at the Republican National Convention to at least welcome the delegates.
"This is his state," Huckabee told
Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program. "People here elected him. I was in the hotel yesterday having breakfast, one of servers came by, didn't know who I was, and said 'I'm very embarrassed for our governor. I'm embarrassed. He should be here.' John Kasich's face is on milk cartons all over Ohio because nobody knows where he is."
Further, the former Arkansas governor said, Kasich's refusal to attend the convention is disrespectful to the city of Cleveland and the state.
"If we had a convention and you have a Democratic governor, he will still come over and give a welcome," said Huckabee of his own state. "He is not endorsing the whole platform of course. But he does that as a courtesy. And I think it really is, very unfortunate. And John, I like. He is a friend, but I'm very unhappy what he has done this week. I think he missed a great opportunity."
No Republican has won the presidency since the 1800s without taking Ohio. Huckabee said he thinks that even without Kasich's support, Trump will still get many Ohio voters, including the union members and blue-collar workers that do not traditionally vote for Republicans.
"There are going to be a lot of moms, who will vote for Donald Trump because they say, 'I want my kids to grow up in a safe world.'"
Trump stands for law and order, said Huckabee, while Clinton "is not that respectful of police officers who are putting their lives on the line. These are defining issues. As a result of that, I think the choice is going to be clear and there are a lot of people who will not vote traditional party, both Democrats and Republicans."
This year's election is a "disruptive" one, he continued, "which is healthy in our system."
"We need times when things are unpredictable," Huckabee told the program. "It shakes up politicians. It makes them sit up and take notice."
He said he also thinks Trump will get a lot more votes than many people expect.
"A lot of people will not tell a pollster honestly how they will vote," said Huckabee. "I think there will be a big surprise come November. People are going to vote differently than maybe they anticipated the poll questions because there is passion in this country. People are tired of watching America get kicked to the teeth, left to the side of the road."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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