John Kasich

Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, center, greets patrons at a bar while visiting Nashua, N.H., in May. The Kasich administration would not disclose Tuesday who picks up the travel tab for a security detail that accompanies Kasich on out-of-state trips as he gauges whether to run for president.

(Steven Senne, The Associated Press)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. John Kasich routinely is accompanied by a security detail of State Highway Patrol officers wherever he goes, but just who is paying the security bill for the governor's recent trips to New Hampshire, South Carolina and other states is a mystery.

Kasich is one of four governors who either have announced their candidacy or are expected to join the field for the Republican presidential nomination. Two others, New Jersey's Chris Christie and Wisconsin's Scott Walker, have discussed who picks up the tab for their security details when they travel.

But when asked about the issue Tuesday, the Kasich administration was mum.

"For the safety of the governor, his family and those with him, we simply never discuss security procedures or resources," Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said.

A political operative for New Day for America, a national committee Kasich formed to raise money to cover expenses, referred Northeast Ohio Media Group to the administration when asked who pays for the governor's security detail for such trips.

Kasich has made several visits to early primary and caucus states as he explores a run for the Republican nomination for president -- a decision he is expected to make official July 21. He also traveled earlier this year to several states to discuss a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

His travel costs for trips that are not official state of Ohio business have generally been picked up by third party organizations, such as New Day for America. Generally when staff members travel with him, they are off the clock and their costs also are picked up by a third party.

But security is different. A governor is always the governor and as such security is always an issue.

That factored into Christie's answer when he acknowledged last week that New Jersey taxpayers were paying for the security detail that accompanied him on a five-state tour.

"In the end, anywhere I go, the troopers need to go -- whether I want them to go or not," Christie said outside a diner in New Hampshire. "We're going to continue to conduct this in the same way I've always conducted it."

Early this year it was reported that New Jersey's state police had billed the state for nearly $1 million in travel costs for his security detail since Christie took office.

But this spring, Walker's administration announced a different approach, saying that his Our American Revival fundraising organization would pay the travel costs of his security detail on political trips, but that the state would continue to pay their wages.

"Taxpayers are not paying any part of the governor's Our American Revival travel. Additionally, Our American Revival is paying for all hotels, flights, rental cars, and any other travel expenses for the troopers when they are on political trips," Walker spokeswoman AshLee Strong told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

in 2014, Wisconsin spent about $2.4 million on security for Walker, his family and the lieutenant governor.

On Tuesday, though, the Kasich administration would not discuss costs.

The administration has always been tight-lipped about security. In August 2014, the Ohio Supreme Court sided with the administration when it fought attempts by the liberal political blog Plunderbund Media to force release of documents detailing threats against the governor.

Plunderbund made a public records request to the Ohio Department of Public Safety in 2012 after the governor's office refused to release Kasich's daily schedules, citing security concerns. The Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Highway Patrol, rejected Plunderbund's request, saying investigations of the threats are "security records" exempt from disclosure under the state's public records law.

The court agreed.

"Information included in these threats, according to the affidavits provided, is used for protecting and maintaining the security of the governor and his staff and family and for maintaining the secure functioning of the governor's office. The records are therefore 'security records' and exempt from disclosure as public records," the court said.