Ohio Republican Gov. DeWine will face off against Nan Whaley this fall

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike DeWine won his party’s nomination for a second term on Tuesday and will face Democrat Nan Whaley this fall after winning conservative anger of his strict pandemic policies and his notable disagreements with former President Donald Trump.

Whaley, a former mayor of Dayton, became the first woman in state history to receive a major party endorsement for the governor’s office by defeating former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley in a primary election that drew little attention.

DeWine battled three far-right challengers in the Republican primary and will be the favorite again in November against Whaley, whose name is much less recognized in a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since 2006.

Whaley thinks that having a woman on top of bill it will be to the Democrats’ advantage this time, noting that the party has done better with female voters in states that have nominated women for leadership roles.

He promised during the campaign to protect the right to abortion, promote social justice and fight political corruption. She also wants the state to add a $15 minimum wage, universal preschool and better access to child care.

Ohio has elected only one Democrat to be governor in the last three decades. Since then, the state has moved to the right, especially in recent years under Trump’s control.

The former president did not choose sides in the Republican race for governor. Former US Rep. Jim Renacci, hoping to win his endorsement, described DeWine as a moderate who is out of step with Trump and governed “like a blue-state liberal.”

DeWine, who easily won the state’s premier office four years ago, was careful to say he still supports Trump, but without fully embracing him. He also dismissed Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

The governor faced an uproar in some corners of Ohio after angering loyal Republicans with aggressive stay-at-home mandates, business closures and curfews during the pandemic.

But the four-way Republican primary played in DeWine’s favor, as voters upset with the governor split their support between Renacci and Joe Blystone, a farmer who joined the race early and won a following in rural Ohio, where he did well in his first candidacy. for office

Many conservatives complained that DeWine’s policies and actions during the pandemic went against what they were hearing from Trump and Republican governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida and Kristi Noem of South Dakota.

DeWine also lost the support of some conservative and anti-abortion groups during the primaries despite his long history of opposing abortion and calling himself “the most pro-life governor in Ohio history.”

In his first term, DeWine signed a bill that banned abortions after detecting a fetal heartbeat, at the time one of the strictest restrictions in the country. Last year, he signed a stand your ground law and won a big win when Intel announced it would invest $20 billion in two semiconductor factories near Columbus.

John Seewer, Associated Press