After graduation, Kasich worked for Ohio Sen. Donald Lukens as an administrative aide for several years, before being elected to the state Senate himself in 1978, at the age of 26. He served two terms.

U.S. House Career

In 1982, Kasich was elected to the U.S. House as a Republican, a post he held for 18 years. He became known for his aggressive fiscal conservatism, often crossing party lines to fight for restraint in federal spending. But on social matters, he built a consistently conservative voting record.

When Republicans regained control of Congress following the 1994 midterm elections, Kasich was considered one of House Speaker Newt Gingrich's (R-Ga.) right-hand men. Sure enough, he was named chairman of the plum House Budget Committee, and played a signficant role in balancing the federal budget. He also chaired the congressional conference committee that instituted an historic overhaul of the welfare system.

Author and Pundit

Kasich made a brief bid for the presidency in the 2000 election cycle, but dropped out of the primary race after less than six months, endorsing then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush who he said shared his "compassionate conservative" ideals. At the time Kasich said he had no future plans, but did not rule out another bid for elected office.

Instead, Kasich turned his energies toward the business world, taking a management position in the investment-banking division of Lehman Brothers. As many ex-pols do, he also became a pundit. Starting right after leaving Capitol Hill, he hosted Heroes with John Kasich, a monthly segment on Fox News, and later tackled a more politically-minded weekly program, Heartland.

Kasich has made the New York Times best-seller list with two different books: "Courage is Contagious," in 1999, and "Stand for Something: The Battle for America's Soul," which was published in 2007. His third book, "Every Other Monday," which came out in June 2010, tells the story of Kasich's Bible study group and explores his religious views.

2010 Gubernatorial Race

After gaining the GOP nomination without a primary, Kasich had 16 months to fundraise and run against incumbent Gov. Ted Strickland (D), who started out with an impressive $4 million in the bank. But Kasich eventually pulled ahead, boasting a 17-point lead over Strickland in September 2010, according to one poll.

A swing state with 20 electoral votes, Ohio is a natural battleground for both national parties, and 2010 was no exception. Prominent Democrats, including President Obama, campaigned heavily in the state, with Obama ending his stump tour with a 35,000-person rally at Cleveland State University two days before the November 2010 election. Kasich drew national support from the tea-party movement. In part because of money pouring in from outside the state, the two campaigns raised and spent more money than in any other race in Ohio history.

Perhaps because of Obama's campaign appearances, or because of missteps by the Kasich campaign, his wide lead over Strickland began to shrink throughout the month of October. On the eve of the Nov. 2 election, some polls showed the candidates in a statistical dead-heat.

Show less