IF I HAD TO HAVE A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT IT WOULD BE ...

The current governor of Ohio since 2010, John Kasich, and a previous member of the House of Representatives from 1983-2001. He is a former Chairman of the House Budget Committee where he worked on successfully balancing the Federal Budget. As the Republican party is controlled by the Religious Right, there is little to choose from among their stands demanded by the religious right; however, Kasich's stands are a little moderated.  Yes, of course he is against abortion and would not select a pro-Choice vice-presidential candidate, but he would exempt women who are pregnant from rape, incest, or whose life is endangered.  This is probably the best you can do with a Republican candidate.  He did admire a young lady who forwent cancer treatment to protect the life of her baby.  As a congressman, he voted against partial birth abortion and against transporting a minor across state lines to get an abortion.

In 1999, he was for eliminating the Energy and Commerce Departments.  He also voted yes to shorten the waiting period for buying guns from 3 days to one day.  He opposes government run health care and physician assisted suicide.  He supported an amendment to ban same-sex marriage (apparently in 2010).  He opposed teacher's unions when running for governor but apparently has support unions that "make something."  This gives him some bona fides with Republicans as a union buster.  He does not oppose the execution law of Ohio but has commuted four cases while permitting eight executions.

He is divorced and remarried, and his first wife has campaigned for him since their divorce.  He voted for the assault weapons ban (1994) that received the anger of the NRA.  He also worked to pass the Clinton Crime Omnibus bill that outlawed some firearms, again getting the anger of gun rights individuals. One thing that has gotten him in trouble with Republicans is that he accepted the increase of Medicaid to 275,000 poor Americans in Ohio and has said we need to consider those of us that live in the shadows. This stance lost him much support from the Tea Party.  He also worked to allow cuts in Medicare payments to those earning more than $75,000, that failed by one vote.  He was a principal in the Goldwater-Nichols Act that streamlined the military.  In 1999 he voted for a $15.6 billion effort for foreign operations (including debt relief) when most Republicans voted against the bill (It passed.).  In 2000, he voted to transfer $156 million from foreign military financing to reduce the debt of Highly Indebted Foreign Countries.  He admires Rosa Parks and some other women's rights stances.  He is for affirmative action in certain cases, Recruitment should be at Howard University as well as at Harvard University.  His major congressional accomplishments are probably that he worked to cut spending on the B-2 bomber and worked with Ralph Nader to close corporate loopholes.  He has supported K-12 education as governor.  He has supported the War On Human Trafficking and said that some path to citizenship might have to be given to illegal aliens.

Perhaps

He has written three books, two of which made the New York Times Best Seller list.

Though Kasich's stances on the issues are certainly spotty, some good, some bad, overall he would be my pick if I had to have a Republican president, but an endorsement by me probably shows he is not acceptable to Republicans.  For example, my previous pick was Jon Huntsman in the 2012 run for the Republican nomination for president.