Kasich: Millennials will shape future of GOP

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Sunday said the nationalist wing of the Republican Party is not likely to last, and that the GOP’s direction will ultimately be decided by millennials. 

“I think that this move toward nationalism or looking inward — a lot of loud voices but I don’t happen to think it’s the bulk and we’ll have to see over time,” Kasich said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“But that debate, to some degree, is going to be settled by the demographics in the near future,” he added. “Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but soon it’s going to be decided by that new wave of new thinking by these young people who can bring a lot of energy to the Republican Party and the conservative movement.”

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That new generation of Republicans, Kasich said, are not concerned with the social wedge issues that have long characterized conservatism, and are more interested in issues like the environment and climate change.

Kasich, who ran against President Trump in the 2016 GOP primaries, has emerged as one of the most vocal Republican critics of the party under Trump. 

His comments on Sunday came days after Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) announced in a lengthy speech on the Senate floor that he would not seek reelection in 2018, citing a moral objection to Trump’s behavior and agenda as well as the current political climate within the GOP.

Kasich added that his objection to Trump’s wing of the GOP was not personal, but rooted in policy differences.