Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Ohio Gov. Kasich opposes changing name of Mount McKinley

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Monday that he disagrees with President Barack Obama's decision to rename Mount McKinley as Denali, the traditional Alaska Native name.

Alaska's governor and congressional delegation have praised the long-sought change, which was announced Sunday. But stripping the mountain of its name honoring former President William McKinley, a son of Ohio, drew criticism from Ohio lawmakers.

Kasich, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, said during a campaign stop in Michigan that the name should remain McKinley.

"You just don't go and do something like that," Kasich said. "In Ohio, we felt it was appropriate. A guy saw that mountain when he was one of the first up there ... named it after the president. No reason to change it."

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump weighed in as well, calling the change a "great insult to Ohio." On Twitter, Trump wrote, "I will change back!"

House Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Bob Gibbs, both Ohio Republicans, also oppose the decision, with Gibbs calling it a political stunt insulting to all Ohioans.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy