Ohio Gov. Kasich brings the GOP field to 16

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Saying "big ideas change the world," Ohio Gov. John Kasich declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination Tuesday and pitched his well-rounded resume to voters who have a multitude of high achievers to size up.

Kasich, 63, launched his campaign at Ohio State University before a crowd of 2,000 at an event marking the entry of a strong-willed and sometimes abrasive governor in a nomination race now with 16 Republicans.

"I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support, for your efforts because I have decided to run for president," Kasich said in a scattered 43-minute speech packed with family anecdotes, historical references and calls for national renewal. A veteran congressman as well as governor, Kasich is telling voters he is the only GOP candidate with experience in three broad areas of political leadership -- the federal budget, national security and state government.

He also spent nearly a decade at Lehman Brothers.

"I have the experience and the testing," he said, "the testing which shapes you and prepares you for the most important job in the world, and I believe I know how to work and help restore this great United States."

As budget chairman in the House, he became an architect of a deal in 1997 that balanced the federal budget.