Washington, D.C. – With John Kasich’s announcement that he is running for president, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement:

“We don’t need even one day of John Kasich out on the campaign trail to tell us what kind of president he would be. Kasich’s time as a congressman, governor, and at a Wall Street firm have shown us that he will continue his divisive record of putting his own best interests ahead of the people of Ohio and the middle class.

“From championing the original government shutdown in the mid-1990s that cost taxpayers as much as $800 million to serving as a managing director for one of the investment banks that was integral to the 2008 crash and subsequent economic crisis that put nearly 9 million Americans out of work, John Kasich’s callous actions are only matched by his notoriously dismissive attitude toward hardworking Americans. As governor of Ohio, Kasich has cut taxes for the wealthy while placing stress on local governments to clean up his messes. He’s cut almost $2 billion in education funding and signed some of the most restrictive women’s health laws in the country.

“We’ve seen John Kasich’s pro-John Kasich policies in action, and we deserve better. John Kasich is simply out of touch with today’s middle class and working Americans. Adding insult to injury, he brings more of the same divisive rhetoric and policies that are already prevalent among his fifteen fellow contenders, which is the last thing America needs.”