John Kasich Charms Unions as Scott Walker Embodies New Republican Antipathy

The contrast illustrates tension in the Republican Party over whether to court blue-collar Democrats or paint union members as moochers and an impediment to business.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks during the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum at the 2015 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits on April 10, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Standing with a crowd of carpenters to accept their endorsement, Ohio Governor John Kasich acknowledged that it wasn’t easy for union members to back a Republican.

“But we’ve gotten to know each other over time,” Kasich said in Columbus, two weeks before winning re-election in November. “For too long, there’s been a disconnect between people like me and organized labor.”