COLUMBUS – Republican Mike DeWine is embarking on a statewide campaign tour a day after announcing a bid for Ohio governor.
Monday, June 26: ‘Meet and Greet’ event at L.A. Pete’s, 6080 Brecksville Rd, Independence (8:30 a.m.). Visit to GLI Pool Products, 215 Sinter Ct, Youngstown (2:30 p.m.)to talk small business development.
The 70-year-old Republican surprised no one – except possibly those who thought he had already announced his candidacy – when he made his long-anticipated announcement Sunday at his annual ice cream social at his Cedarville home in southwest Ohio, which shows off the former lieutenant governor’s deep political roots in the state.
In his address, DeWine said he would focus on education, the need for filling jobs with skilled workers, and attacking Ohio’s drug and opioid crisis.
“We cannot sit by as we lose a generation of children to addiction. When I am Governor, we will get ahead of this problem,” he said.
DeWine released a biographical web ad before the tour laying out an optimistic, law-and-order vision for Ohio.
The state attorney general and former U.S senator is one of Ohio’s longest-serving and best-known politicians, but it’s not clear how well that traditional political profile will serve him in a national political climate that’s been upended by President Donald Trump.
Cedarville University political scientist Mark Caleb Smith says DeWine’s wide name recognition and favorability among voters, extensive political network and $2.5 million campaign fund should make him an instant front-runner.
However, DeWine’s two announced Republican challengers are already employing some of Trump’s populist campaign tactics, U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci firing off a quick statement in which he accuses DeWine of playing a game of “musical chairs” with Secretary of State Jon Husted and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, who are also seeking the office.
“I’m honored to be the one candidate in this race who can offer Ohioans three decades of experience growing our economy in the real world and not a day of experience playing politics in Columbus,” Renacci said. “The more I travel the state, the more certain I am that when the music stops, my brand of fresh leadership will be precisely what Ohioans are looking for.”
Democratic candidate Betty Sutton, a former congresswoman, questioned DeWine’s record. She says he’s failed to protect Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens by opposing the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion and defending anti-abortion laws.