NBA legend Charles Barkley explained Saturday why he’s thinking about switching political teams to vote for Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, saying none of the Democratic candidates are inspiring him, including Hillary Clinton, who lacks the all-important “it factor.”
“I normally vote Democratic but they don’t have a candidate to get my juices flowing,” Barkley told CNN’s Michael Smerconish.
And on Clinton in particular, the outspoken 11-time NBA all-star said: “Well, you know, she just doesn’t have the ‘it’ factor.”
“There’s only a couple of Democrats I would vote for and neither are running,” Barkley said Saturday, naming Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Housing and Urban Development Sec. Julian Castro as his favorites in the party.
“I want somebody who is going to inspire me to want to go out and campaign for them, talk to my friends about them. And right now I’m not getting that from the Democratic party.”
He said that Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has not provided that spark. And Vice President Joe Biden, who is reportedly considering running, is too old, according to Barkley, who is an NBA analyst for TNT.
Earlier this week, Barkley said that if the election were held now, he’d vote for Kasich.
Asked why, Barkley said he believes the 63-year-old is the more “inclusive” Republican.
“I saw him do a sit-down interview on CNN with Dana Bash and talked about being inclusive,” Barkley said. “He talked about young black kids, giving us an opportunity. His idea of being a conservative is being inclusive.”
Barkley said that he’s not “been a big believer in the Republican party in the past” because of their focus on the abortion debate, gay marriage and illegal immigration.
And on Democrats, Barkley said that the party has long taken the minority vote for granted.
“They have always taken the minority vote for granted. One-hundred percent,” he said.
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[h/t Mediaite]