Despite his statewide victory, Republican John Kasich did not fare well with southern Ohio voters. Scioto County native Ted Strickland won the majority of southern Ohio counties from Scioto, east along the river.

A day after the election, the Kasich campaign was already reassuring southern Ohio voters they will receive the same attention as the rest of the state from the governor-elect.

“He will grab and claw for every potential job down there to get that part of the state back on track,” Kasich Aide Rob Nichols said. “And John is focused singularly on job creation. That’s all that matters. And nowhere more does that matter than southern Ohio.”

Nichols said it was a campaign of misinformation that led voters in Scioto County to vote against Kasich.

“I know that they went through with an RV lying about John on guns,” Nichols said. “I know that they tried to scare everyone in southern Ohio, saying John would abolish the Appalachian Regional Commission.”

Nichols said it is Kasich’s plan to continue to work for jobs in southern Ohio.

“We will continue to be down there and tell you what we’re going to do to fix the state,” Nichols said. “John just wants to get the economy going, which benefits everyone. We recognize that we have a little work there to patch that up, and we will do that.”

Scioto County gave Strickland 13,982 votes to Kasich’s 8,851, but when the final numbers came in statewide Kasich finished with 1,849,842 votes to Strickland’s 1,752,790 votes, 49 percent to 46 percent.

Kasich, 58, an 18-year member of the U.S. House of Representatives, said Tuesday night that Ohio voters have sent the message they want to go in a new direction.

Strickland told a crowd of supporters early Wednesday that he had waged his last campaign. At 69, Strickland has not indicated what his plans are, but he said he will continue to fight for Ohio in any way he can.

Frank Lewis may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232, or flewis@heartlandpublications.com.