He was a key figure in the passage of both welfare reform and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. He was a commentator on Fox News Channel, hosting Heartland with John Kasich from 2001 to 2007. He also worked as an investment banker, serving as managing director of the Lehman Brothers office in Columbus, Ohio. In the 2010 Ohio gubernatorial election, Kasich defeated Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland.