Former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich recently said he "had to search my conscience" before agreeing to speak at next week's Democratic National Convention in support of presumptive nominee Joe Biden, during a CNN interview.
"You were anti-Trump, but you were not taking that extra step. What changed?" Erin Burnett asked.
"Conscience, Erin," Kasich responded. "The reason I didn't support Trump the last time is I was afraid that he would be a divider and not a unifier -- and our best leaders historically have been unifiers, Republicans and Democrats. But unfortunately, as I've watched him over the last three-and-a-half years now, he's continued to do that, and I don't think the country does well when we're divided."
Burnett said Kasich had written in the name of then-Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on the ballot for the 2016 presidential election. The CNN anchor called that "a far cry from actually supporting the Democratic candidate for president."
"If you're not prepared to walk a lonely road and do the things that your conscience tells you to do, then how do you think about yourself when you look in the mirror?" Kasich said.
"I mean, I'm comfortable with the decisions I make," Kasich added. "Of course, there's blowback.
"This is not an unusual place for me to be. I've been a reformer almost all of my life. I've been very independent, and I'm a Republican, but the Republican Party has always been my vehicle but never my master. You have to do what you think is right in your heart, and I'm comfortable here."
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