DAYTON, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, has his first official challenger in next year’s gubernatorial race. Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley has announced she is running to become the Democratic nominee for governor.
What You Need To Know
- Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley announced her candidacy for Ohio governor
- The democratic mayor became the first opponent to announce candidacy against Gov. Mike DeWine
- If successful, she would be the first female governor of Ohio
Whaley said she is running for governor because she believes “Ohio deserves better” as far as leadership and there needs to be more than one party running the state.
Whaley’s campaign released a video Monday morning detailing her decision and intent to run for the state’s highest office for the second time. In the video, she said between factories closing, the opioid epidemic, tornadoes and the mass shooting in the city’s Oregon District, she is not the same person she was four years ago when she first ran for governor.
If the Republican politicians who have been running Columbus for 30 years had answers to the challenges we face, we’d have heard them by now. Instead, they let extremists run wild while their corrupt friends get rich.
I’m running for Governor because Ohio deserves better. pic.twitter.com/nlFYpPiVTJ
— Nan Whaley (@nanwhaley) April 19, 2021
“The issues that came before Dayton, where they are really national issues that laid locally in our community, really showed to me my strengths and my community’s strength,” Whaley said. “It actually makes you tougher and it brings you closer together.”
Whaley is currently serving her second four-year term as Dayton’s mayor. She said, as governor, her top priorities would be to create higher-paying jobs, increase the minimum wage and have a greater investment in education and ethics reform.
“There is so much darkness and so many closed door decisions made in the Statehouse. We need some real sunshine and real disinfectant,” Whaley said.
Whaley said DeWine has failed to root out corruption in government, pointing to federal racketeering scandal surrounding House Bill 6, the taxpayer-funded bailout of two nuclear power plants in Ohio. DeWine has not been charged or implicated while former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four others were indicted.
Whaley also feels DeWine has not properly handled the pandemic.
“The governor talks a good game, but at the end of the day when the rubber meets the road he is not strong enough to stand up to the extremists in his party and I think that’s really what we need,” said Whaley.
Yet in 2020, the state proved for the second time in four years it is becoming more conservative when former President Donald Trump defeated President Joe Biden by eight points.
When asked what makes her think a Democrat can win the state, Whaley said, “I think people are tired of how their lives are going in Ohio. I think they desperately want a change. They know that people aren’t paying attention to them and so I think that’s going to be a great opportunity for us to talk about the issues that really affect Ohioans.”
Whaley said it is time for a governor to come from the middle class who has been on the front lines of Ohio’s toughest challenges.
“It’s time for a little bit of Dayton toughness in Columbus,” said Whaley.
If Whaley were to win the Democratic nomination and beat DeWine, she would become the first woman elected governor of Ohio.
“It’s a great moment when a little girl comes up to you and they can see themselves in you and what’s just as exciting (to me) is that then other women can come behind you and take those steps too,” Whaley said.
Whaley is expected to face Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley in the Democratic primary. A spokesperson for Cranley said he will announce his candidacy for governor later this year.
