GOP campaign official apologizes for saying Democratic Ohio gov was raised in ‘chicken shack’

GOP sorry for ‘chicken shack’ quip about Ohio gov

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A spokesman for Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate John Kasich (KAY’-sik) is apologizing for taking aim at Gov. Ted Strickland’s rural roots by saying he had “grown up in a chicken shack.”

Spokesman Rob Nichols said Wednesday he shouldn’t have referenced the Democratic governor’s Appalachian upbringing when he criticized Strickland’s handling of urban issues.

Nichols on Tuesday said, “Having grown up in a chicken shack on Duck Run, he has all but ignored our cities’ economies and their workers.” 

Nichols said he realizes that the reference could be viewed as derogatory.

Democrats say Nichols’ comments were insulting and show Kasich is out of touch with average Ohioans. They’ve been making an issue of Kasich’s time as a former managing director at the Lehman Brothers investment firm.