Renacci Launch Only a Small Preview of Messy #OHGov Primary to Come
June 11, 2021
Columbus, OH — This week, two-time failed statewide candidate Jim Renacci is trying again to run for governor, viewing Mike DeWine as so weak that even he has a shot. In a preview of the messy primary to come, Renacci’s launch was focused solely on attacking DeWine, who has increasingly become the target of attacks by fellow Republicans.
Renacci has made clear that attacking DeWine will be at the center of his entire primary campaign, showing he’s not interested in representing Ohioans or their interests, but only exploiting DeWine’s weakness for his own personal gain instead. The intra-party split has gotten so bad, the Ohio Republican Party refused to even defend their sitting Governor as Renacci released an onslaught of attacks.
“Mike DeWine is in for a long year of attacks from all sides as an increasingly weak and vulnerable governor. Republican candidates like Jim Renacci will continue to stoop lower and lower to try to gain attention and serve their own interests rather than the interests of Ohio voters. Meanwhile, while Republicans are busy dragging each other down, Democrats are putting Ohio back on the road to recovery and showing voters we’re on their side,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
See more coverage below of this week’s launch that serves as only a small sampling of the attacks and mudslinging to come:
WEWS: Jim Renacci’s campaign to unseat Gov. Mike DeWine to focus on handling of pandemic
‘“I jumped in that race because I didn’t think Mike DeWine was the person who could change our state and three and half years later he’s proven that,’ Renacci told News 5 after launching his challenge of DeWine for the 2022 nomination.
“Renacci made it clear at the center of the campaign will be DeWine’s handling of the pandemic and the shutdown of the state.”
“Renacci, 62, of Wadsworth, is banking on Republicans’ anger toward DeWine, who closed businesses, schools and even the polls to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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“DeWine’s hold on the GOP electorate has some cracks. Conservative activists have protested DeWine’s health orders outside his Cedarville home. DeWine’s running mate Jon Husted was booed at a then-President Donald Trump rally for recommending masks. A Republican lawmaker even tried to impeach DeWine.”
WVXU: Analysis: Could Mike DeWine’s Re-election Bid Be Doomed By His Fellow Republicans?
“So how concerned should DeWine be about all of this opposition within his own party?
‘“I do think he is in trouble,” said David Niven, professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati. ‘Mainly because of the degree to which the firmament beneath his feet has changed.’”
Toledo Blade: Jim Renacci jumps into Ohio governor’s race
“Mr. Renacci, who ran nursing homes and car dealerships before winning a U.S. House of Representatives seat in 2010, made the announcement on a Cleveland radio station in the afternoon.
‘“Ohioans can’t afford four more years of Mike DeWine as their governor,’ Mr. Renacci said in a statement afterward. ‘We have seen what failed leadership can do to a once prosperous state. DeWine’s tenure as governor will be defined as the worst period in Ohio’s long and rich history. Corruption, indictments, low job creation, shutdowns, rampant crime and more scandals — that is DeWine’s legacy. He’s more interested in being the Andrew Cuomo of Ohio rather than actually helping everyday Ohioans.’”