John Kasich is running for president: 4 things to know about the Ohio governor

Mr Kasich has announced that he will be the 16th Republican presidential candidate

(AP Images)

John Kasich has jumped into the presidential race, becoming the 16th Republican presidential candidate to announce a campaign.

The Ohio governor has a wealth of political experience - something he has said he will tout during the presidential race - but he has fallen under the radar as more than a dozen other Republicans have launched their campaigns.

Here are four things about Mr Kasich to help you get to know the newest - though probably not final - Republican presidential candidate.

Political background

Mr Kasich was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1978 at the age of 26, becoming the youngest ever to be elected as a state senator.

In 1982, he was elected to the US House and served until 2001, rising to the position of chairman of the House Budget Committee.

After his run in the House, Mr Kasich entered the private sector until 2011, when he began his current term as Ohio governor.

He was once a big banker

In the near-decade between his time as a US representative and Ohio governor, Mr Kasich worked as a managing director at Lehman Brothers until the company's well-documented collapse in 2008, which precipitated the worldwide financial collapse.

He was a Fox News host

This is not his first try for the White House

Before going over to the private sector, Mr Kasich briefly entered the 2000 presidential race. Running on the heels of his nine terms in the House, he was only in the race for five months before withdrawing, NPR reported.

He eventually endorsed George W. Bush, who went on to win the presidency.

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