DeWine Debate Watch: Day 19
September 16, 2022
Columbus, OH — As debate season starts to ramp up in the closing weeks and days of the election cycle, Mike DeWine has continued to duck committing to debates across Ohio with Mayor Nan Whaley, even as the Mayor has already publicly agreed and challenged DeWine to a number of debates. DeWine also dodged a debate with his primary opponents earlier this year, signaling that he is scared to defend his record to Ohioans, especially since he’s debated political opponents in the past. It’s ‘DeWine Debate Watch’ Day 18, reminding Ohioans that DeWine won’t even try to make his case to them as he seeks re-election to the highest statewide executive office.
“Mike DeWine clearly knows his record over the last four years of selling out working families in favor of the wealthy and well-connected is not going to be popular with Ohio voters. If DeWine can’t even muster the political courage to tell Ohioans why they should re-elect him, he doesn’t deserve the job and should be held publicly accountable for his cowardice,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.
Ohioans deserve answers from DeWine on a number of key issues, including his promise to ‘go as far as we can’ to rip away reproductive rights, his broken promise to ‘do something’ to combat gun violence in Ohio, his connections to the largest public corruption scandal in state history and his role in the failed redistricting process that produced GOP-gerrymandered maps and cost Ohioans millions of dollars.
Read more from the Wright State Guardian HERE and below:
- As the Ohio midterm election grows closer, voters may expect to see a debate between the two candidates in the gubernatorial election for Governor, incumbent Governor Mike DeWine and former mayor of Dayton Nan Whaley. According to the Whaley-Stephens campaign, DeWine has declined offers to debate.
- Dr. Sean Wilson, professor of political science at Wright State University, noted that DeWine has also refused debate offers in the past, notably against challenger Jim Renacci in the 2022 Republican primaries; instead, DeWine has relied on his position as the incumbent candidate.
- The Whaley-Stephens campaign continues to push for a debate between the candidates.
- “We owe it to Ohioans to debate the issues in a format where Ohioans can hear an open exchange of ideas,” the official Whaley-Stephens campaign statement said. “I’m ready to debate Governor DeWine and I hope that he changes his mind and will join me.”
- The Ohio Debate Commission invited Whaley to participate in a debate in Akron on Oct. 10; according to the ODC website, Whaley has accepted this invitation and DeWine has not.
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