COLUMBUS — The details of how the Republican gubernatorial campaigns of Mike DeWine and Jon Husted came together were hashed out over breakfast on Wednesday.

That marked the first personal meeting between the two well-known and well-funded candidates, but discussions between the two campaigns had been going on over the phone for about a week.

“If I had continued my run for governor, Mike and I would have fought a real campaign that left the winner bruised and broken with only a few months to rebuild before the general election,” Secretary of State Husted, 50, said of his decision to join Attorney General DeWine, 70, as his running mate in 2018.

Both he and the top of the ticket flatly stated there was no discussion about Mr. DeWine potentially serving only one term as governor, if elected next year, to pave the way for a Husted run in 2022.

“I think people want to see the best candidates,” Mr. DeWine said after the new ticket was unveiled Thursday during events in Dayton and Columbus.

“I truly believe I have as a running mate the best person in the entire state, based on his experience, his passion, his drive, and his really understanding of the state of Ohio. I could not pick a better person.”

Mr. Husted said no commitment that he has made as a gubernatorial candidate would be lost by the merging of the campaigns.

Meanwhile, the other two announced candidates for the GOP nomination, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth, forged ahead, presenting the DeWine-Husted team as an example of insider politics.

“Today’s announcement by my opponent is great news for political consultants and lobbyists,” Ms. Taylor said. “But those aren’t the people I support. I speak for the people. Mike DeWine is the past. I will fight for Ohio's future.

“The election of Donald Trump sent a message to career politicians everywhere: If you continue to go along to get along we will replace you,” she said.

Renacci spokesman James Slepian said the merged ticket would “offer voters a ticket with over 60 years in politics, an F rating from the NRA, and support for the largest tax increase in Ohio's history. If they think this is what Ohioans are looking for, they're running in the wrong party's primary.”

Caleb Smith, associate professor of political science and director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University, said Ms. Taylor has the most to lose from the combined fund-raising and political clout of a DeWine-Husted ticket.

“There’s a lot of struggle within the Ohio Republican Party about what role Governor Kasich will play,” he said. “Has he really pushed her to his fund-raisers and his machine? If she is firmly aligned with Governor Kasich and has his help in raising funds, she has a good shot. So far that doesn’t appear to be the case.”

While Ms. Taylor has been publicly endorsed by Mr. Kasich, she has taken pains to distance herself from some of his policies — particularly his decision to partner with the federal Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid.

RELATED: Lt. Gov. Taylor announces run for governor

Mr. Smith said a DeWine-Husted ticket should not only prove formidable in the 2018 GOP primary but a force to be reckoned against a Democrat next November.

“It’s a pretty strong ticket ...” he said. “It’s hard to imagine, with this kind of experience, depth, and success at the statewide level, not to mention fund-raising and organization, that it wouldn’t be a stacked ticket for the Democrats to counter right now.”

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said the state’s problems with charter schools, opioid addiction, and uninspiring job growth have all occurred on Mr. DeWine and Mr. Husted’s watch. He called it “the worst possible ticket to deliver change in Columbus.”

“It’s not a surprise to see them team up,” he said. “They are part of the status quo of Columbus insiders who have left behind so many communities and families across our state in the decades they’ve been in office.

“Today’s announcement merely turns up the heat on what has been a rancorous, nasty Republican primary, as all of the candidates are running hard to the right, embracing Trumpism and rejecting Republican Gov. John Kasich,” Mr. Pepper said.

The Democratic side is already crowded and may become even more crowded. Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, state Sen. Joe Schiavoni (D., Boardman), former Akron area congressman Betty Sutton, and former Cincinnati state Rep. Connie Pillich are all in the race.

Just resigned federal consumer watchdog Richard Cordray could also be in the hunt.

Mr. DeWine is a former U.S. senator and lieutenant governor while Mr. Husted has served as former House speaker and state senator. Should Mr. Husted serve eight years as lieutenant governor, he could still run for the top spot in 2026 at an age 12 years younger than Mr. DeWine is now.

Although Mr. Husted was raised in Montpelier, he has represented Dayton area districts in the House and Senate, the same general area from which Mr. DeWine hails. They are both white males espousing largely the same moderate-to-conservative priorities.

Contact Jim Provance at jprovance@theblade.com or 614-221-0496.

First Published November 30, 2017, 4:05 p.m.