Karen Waldbillig Kasich, wife of Ohio Governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, smiles during an election eve rally at Robie’s Country Store on February 8, 2016, in Hooksett, New Hampshire. (Getty)
Karen Waldbillig Kasich is the wife of Ohio Governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich.
The 52-year-old mother of two and former advertising executive has been on the campaign trail with her husband and daughters in the lead up to the New Hampshire primary.
Here’s what you need to know about Ohio’s First Lady:
1. Karen & John Kasich Have Been Married for 18 Years
John Kasich and wife Karen enter a town hall at The Derryfield on February 8, 2016, in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Getty)
Karen Waldbillig married John Kasich in 1997, according to her biography on the Ohio state website.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, she met her husband in 1989 when he was a congressman and she was working on a public relations project for Ohio State University. He was divorced from his first wife and is 12 years older than Waldbillig.
Kasich called the then 25-year-old Waldbillig to thank her for working on the project, the Columbus Dispatch reported in a 2010 profile of her. Kasich said he told his chief of staff at the time, “I’ve just seen the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Karen Kasich remembered thinking, “wasn’t that nice? None of those other people called to thank me!,” after her future husband’s call.
“She’s my anchor, my light,” said John Kasich said about his wife in the 2010 Dispatch article. “She’s awesome. I use that word a lot when I describe her.”
2. They Have Twin 16-Year-Old Daughters, Emma & Reese
Ohio Governor John Kasich stands with his wife Karen and his daughters Emma and Reese. (Getty)
The Kasichs have twin daughters, Emma and Reese, who are now 16. They have recently joined their parents on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.
In a recent CNN interview, they talked about their father and his campaign, saying it’s a “fun experience.”
Emma Kasich told CNN that he is a “very Godly person,” and the “best candidate.”
3. She Left Her Job at a Healthcare Advertising Agency to Become a Full-Time Mom When Her Daughters Were 2
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Karen Kasich’s background is in marketing and communications. She left her job as vice president with GSW Worldwide, a healthcare advertising agency, when her twin daughters were 2, according to her bio on the Ohio website. She previously had a two-decade career in public relations and marketing.
“I felt I was half as good as I was at work and half as good as I could be at home,” she told the Columbus Dispatch in 2010. “I wanted the focus to be on my kids; I’m only going to have them for a short while.”
4. She Is an Ohio Native & Graduated From Ohio State University
Ohio Governor and Republican Presidential candidate John Kasich introduces his wife Karen at a campaign event at the Searles School and Chapel February 8, 2016 in Windham, New Hampshire. (Getty)
Karen Kasich is a native of Upper Arlington, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in communications.
She told the Columbus Dispatch that she isn’t the typical “politician’s wife,” but enjoys meeting people on the campaign trail.
“I tell him that all the time. This is his deal. He wants to run, and I want him to run, but it’s not my thing. Politics is not my thing,” Karen Kasich told the newspaper in December 2015. “I’m not going to be the spouse that’s at every event, shaking every hand, going to all the Lincoln Day dinners. That was never me.”
She said she is supporting her husband by being in New Hampshire. Some have criticized the Ohio governor for not bringing his family to New Hampshire sooner.
“John never puts pressure on me. I never feel it from him,” she told the Dispatch. “Now, the campaign staff I’m sure would want me up here more often, but I have 15-year-old daughters who don’t drive who need to go to tennis, they need to go to soccer, they need to go to school, they need to have tutoring. It’s not an easy thing to have someone just step into every week just so I can go to New Hampshire.”
5. She Has Focused on Children’s Wellness & Women’s Heart Health During Her Time as Ohio’s First Lady
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Since she became Ohio’s First Lady when John Kasich was elected in 2011, Karen Kasich has focused her efforts on “topics that are near and dear to her, including children’s wellness and women’s heart health,” according to the state website.
She was inspired to make women’s heart health a focus after her mother died of congestive heart failure in 2010.
Karen Kasich told the Columbus Dispatch that year she is a “fitness freak.” She runs and works out with a personal trainer, and has completed multiple marathons.
She has also worked as the statewide ambassador for After-School All-Stars Ohio, a program that provides at-risk students with after school support, mentoring and fitness activities.
