Everyone’s Angry at Mike DeWine
June 2, 2021
In Case You Missed It, Cincinnati.com today did a deep dive on Mike DeWine hemorrhaging support among Ohio Republicans, putting him in an increasingly weak position as he tries to salvage support ahead of the 2022 election. DeWine has become the favorite punching bag for Republican candidates as his support among Republican voters continues to flounder. Meanwhile, DeWine’s ties to ongoing corruption scandals at the statehouse and his weakness in standing up to extreme members of his own party make him an unpalatable candidate to voters across the political spectrum.
“If you’re looking for red flags surrounding DeWine’s Republican support, they aren’t difficult to find. A Republican lawmaker tried to impeach DeWine. The GOP-controlled Legislature forced checks on DeWine’s health orders and blocked his gun reforms. Husted was booed at a Dayton-area Trump rally for suggesting attendees wear masks. U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel regularly takes shots at DeWine,” writes the Enquirer.
Expect to see a more dramatic shift from DeWine over the coming weeks and months, as Republicans continue to reject his agenda and speak out publicly against him, setting him up for a nasty primary fight. And his rightward shift will make him no friends with Democrats and Independents, leaving DeWine in a tenuous position as he looks ahead to the 2022 election.
Read the story from Cincinnati.com HERE and more below:
- The crowd gathered outside Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s Cedarville estate wasn’t filled with Democrats protesting his signature on one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws or his support of “stand your ground” gun legislation. Instead, they were fellow Republicans flouting the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions.
- These Republicans represent more than an invasion of DeWine’s Friday night solitude. They point to an erosion of support for DeWine within the GOP base, a group of voters devoted to God, guns and former President Donald J. Trump.
- “I never in my life thought that he would pull the kind of antics and unethical and potentially illegal stunts that he has pulled, up to and including his latest Vax-a-Million program,” Phelps said. “Mike DeWine is a sellout. He doesn’t have conservative values. He is a hypocrite, and I see him as losing big time to Joe Blystone.”
- If you’re looking for red flags surrounding DeWine’s Republican support, they aren’t difficult to find. A Republican lawmaker tried to impeach DeWine. The GOP-controlled Legislature forced checks on DeWine’s health orders and blocked his gun reforms. Husted was booed at a Dayton-area Trump rally for suggesting attendees wear masks. U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel regularly takes shots at DeWine.
- Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale recently shared a poll that showed DeWine under water with Republican voters: 52% viewed DeWine somewhat or very unfavorably and 54% somewhat or strongly disapproved of his job performance, NBC News first reported.
- DeWine’s foes are emboldened by Trump’s November 2020 tweet, hinting at a primary challenge for DeWine after the Republican governor urged Trump to begin the transition to President-elect Joe Biden.