I’m headed to the Republican debate in Detroit tomorrow night!

I received word yesterday that I had been selected to receive a ticket as one of Governor John Kasich’s supporters in the state.  It is great that both parties have chosen to have debates in our great state and I’m really looking forward to attending.

I still remember when my alma mater, MSU, hosted a Presidential debate between President George H.W. Bush, soon-to-be President Bill Clinton and third-party candidate H. Ross Perot.  Even though I wasn’t there in person, I was excited to see this staple of our democratic process take place in Michigan.

Tomorrow night will be exciting, now only because I may be seeing the next President of the United States on that Fox Theater stage, but also because I will be there supporting the man who is so obviously the most qualified candidate on that stage – John Kasich.

The Presidency of the United States is the most important job in the world.  It has rightly been called “The Leader of the Free World.”  Selecting a President is something every American should take very seriously.

Which candidate has the best experience to lead our economy?  A doctor?  Two first-term Senators?  A businessman who has bankrupted four companies and brags about the way he gamed the system?  Or a governor who while he was a Congressman led the fight for the last balanced budget that our country has had?

Governor Kasich was not a back-bencher who talked loud and accomplished nothing.  He was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and was the sponsor of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

Speaker Newt Gingrich said of him at the time, “More than any single man, (Kasich) is responsible for balancing the budget.”

While it is now considered a dirty word to be a Congressman, Kasich was a leader there when Congress actually got things done.

In Ohio, Governor Kasich has done more of the same, turning an $8-billion shortfall into a $2 billion surplus while at the same time cutting taxes by $5 billion.

What about foreign policy?  Again, should we elect the doctor or the rookies?  The game show host who says that waterboarding (now ruled illegal) did not go far enough?  The mogul who says that he respects and can work with Vladimir Putin and referred to Putin as a “stable mate?”

No, I believe we should turn to Governor Kasich and his eighteen years on the House Armed Services Committee where he worked with President Reagan to build our national defense and bring an end to the Soviet evil empire.

If you don’t believe me, ask the international relations scholars who were polled by highly respected Foreign Policy magazine.  54% of those scholars said Kasich would make the best foreign policy president of the Republican candidates.  Rubio was named by 6%, Trump 1.6%, Cruz 1.5% and Dr. Ben Carson 0.6%.

Kasich’s national security advisory team is made up of “the best and brightest minds” according to Breitbart News.  On the other hand, when Trump was asked on Meet the Press where he gets his foreign policy advice, he said, “I really watch the shows.”

Lastly, and maybe most importantly for Republicans like myself, is who can win in November.  We have a seat on the Supreme Court that will be nominated in the first 100 days and we need a pro-life, pro-law enforcement Justice.  We know that a President Hillary Clinton will not make this happen.

National polls have consistently shown that Governor Kasich is the one candidate who can beat Clinton.  The most recent USA Today national poll of likely voters shows Kasich beating Clinton by 11 points.

What do I expect to see at the debate tomorrow night?  I expect to see the person best equipped to lead our party and our nation, not trying mud but talking about his optimism and his experience.  I expect to see Governor Kasich, again being the adult in the room, taking the Presidency, and the race for the Presidency, as seriously as we should expect.

He is a candidate that I can be proud of and he will be a President we can be proud of.