2016 has been a year of political firsts — first Republican front-runner with no military or political experience, first Democratic front-runner under investigation by the FBI, and first political movement to hijack the hook-up social networking app Tinder. But Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governator himself, has also blazed the trail, endorsing Ohio Governor John Kasich on the social networking app Snapchat.
Snapchat videos can only be 10 seconds long, so the endorsement had to be breif. Here it is:
Schwarzenegger: I want John Kasich to be the next nominee of the Republicans, and also to be the next President of the United States. Here he is.
Kasich: Thank you, Arnold. Love you, man!
On Snapchat, photos and videos self-destruct after a few minutes — and often seconds — of a person viewing them. This makes the medium a fascinating, and very confusing, choice for a political endorsement.
It is possible to screenshot from Snapchat, and apparently it is also possible to share videos on Twitter, because here it is:
Gov @Schwarzenegger just did the first-ever @Snapchat endorsement announcement for his old friend @JohnKasich. pic.twitter.com/GcUWupt2cW
— Daniel Ketchell (@ketch) March 6, 2016
Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California, might have endorsed Kasich because he is the last remaining governor in the presidential race. Kasich began his term as Ohio governor during the tail end of Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial term, and the Ohio governor is considered the most moderate of the remaining candidates. While Schwarzenegger is a conservative, his long connection to California may predispose him to more moderate candidates.
The former California governor had previously contributed to Kasich’s campaign and has called him “The Terminator.” This endorsement is not a surprise.
Fun fact: @JohnKasich has a personalized jacket from Arnold @Schwarzenegger embroidered with “Governator II” pic.twitter.com/TfakLkSoFs
— Jeremy Pelzer (@jpelzer) March 6, 2016
For more about Snapchat, check out this link. Schwarzenegger also attended a rally with Kasich this afternoon:
The scene at our Battleground Ohio rally with Govs. Kasich and @Schwarzenegger pic.twitter.com/BYD5bhmwxr — John Kasich (@JohnKasich) March 6, 2016
Although Kasich has not yet won a single primary state, he is expected to do well in Michigan’s March 8 primary, and Ohio’s winner-take-all primary on March 15. If Kasich does not win either of those states, expect calls for him to drop out.
Results from the nearby state of Kentucky in its primary on Saturday suggest that, in addition to poll leader Donald Trump, Ted Cruz may be competitive in Kasich’s home state. A celebrity endorsement like Scharzenegger’s is unlikely to turn the tide in a presidential race, but if anyone can do it, the Governator can.
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