Kasich says 'even clowns were embarrassed' by Texas GOP convention that included declaration that Biden 'was not legitimately elected' and called homosexuality an 'abnormal lifestyle choice'

• John Kasich criticized the Texas GOP after they passed a series of extreme resolutions at their state convention.
• They said Biden "was not legitimately elected" and that homosexuality "is an abnormal lifestyle choice."
• "Even clowns were embarrassed by what they saw down there," said the 2016 GOP presidential candidate.

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Former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich had harsh words for members of his own party when asked about the Texas GOP's state convention on Monday.

"What happened in Texas was a clown show," said Kasich on CNN. "I think even clowns were embarrassed by what they saw down there."

After shouting down Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas with loud booing and jeers on Friday, the state party approved a series of statements for inclusion in the party's official platform. Those included declaring that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate, and that same-sex marriage should be "nullified."

"We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States," reads a resolution adopted by the party concerning the 2020 election.

"Homosexuality is an abnormal lifestyle choice," reads the party's statement of principles on "Homosexuality and Gender Issues."

"We believe the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, overturning the Texas law prohibiting same-sex marriage in Texas, has no basis in the Constitution and should be nullified," read another statement in a section on "Family and Gender Issues."

Kasich, who ran for president as a Republican in 2016, endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and spoke at that year's Democratic convention.

In Kasich's analysis, the positions espouses by the Texas state party represent only a minority of voters' opinions.

"If you leave the field and you let the crazies — you let the people who are really extreme take control, then these are the kind of things you get," he said. "And it works on both sides, in both the Democratic and Republican party, in these primaries."

"If you let the extremes dictate who the nominees are, what the policies are, then you're going to end up in extremes that don't make sense and further polarize the country," he added.

—John Kasich (@JohnKasich) June 20, 2022