LEWIS CENTER, Ohio — The Ohio Republican State Central Committee voted Friday to endorse Gov. Mike DeWine and the rest of the statewide Republican incumbents for the party’s nominations in the May 3 primary.
The 36-to-26 endorsement on a secret ballot vote followed more than three hours of debate. Chairman Bob Paduchik called for a secret ballot after he was unable to determine the winner in a voice vote, and after members voted down a roll-call vote.
“With endorsements from the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee, our experienced slate of incumbent candidates will continue to deliver results for Ohio's working families. I appreciate the leadership and spirited conversation from all of our committee members during today's meeting,” Mr. Paduchik said in a statement following the meeting.
Mr. DeWine and his running mate Lt. Gov. Jon Husted are facing challenges for the nomination from former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth and running mate Joe Knopp, and Columbus-area cattle farmer Joe Blystone and running mate Jeremiah Workman.
“We are grateful for the support of the Ohio Republican Party and their recognition of Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted’s strong, conservative record,” campaign manager Brenton Temple said in a statement.
Members also endorsed for re-election Attorney General Dave Yost, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Treasurer Robert Sprague, and Auditor Keith Faber.
Some in the committee argued unsuccessfully for the candidates to be voted for individually instead of as a slate. Motions were made to omit Mr. LaRose and Mr. DeWine from the slate, both of which failed. Others suggested that no candidates be endorsed by the party before the primary.
There were also 17 members of the committee that others considered to have a potential conflict of interest with the governor’s office. A vote calling for those committee members to recuse themselves from the endorsement vote was defeated.
“In contested races, you can see the divisiveness it’s already created in the past 20 minutes,” committee member Melanie Leneghan of Senate District 19 said during the discussion. “Whenever we stick our nose into contested races and primaries it’s bad for our candidates, it's bad for our party.”
Moments that highlighted the difference in opinion among party members were clear throughout the meeting. One moment included committee member Joe Miller of Senate District 21, who called Mr. Renacci a “very viable candidate” to the applause of other members. Mr. Renacci was present at the meeting.
“I think if [DeWine] wins, that’s wonderful, we’ll get behind him. If Jim [Renacci] wins, we’ll get behind him, but this is a battle for two very competent leaders. I don’t think we should tip the scales.”
“The endorsement was far from a mandate for the governor, only five votes from a tie,” Renacci campaign spokesman Tom Weyand said in a statement to The Blade. “With 60 percent of Republicans not voting for Mike DeWine and Jim leading in every poll, this campaign clearly has the momentum.”
The party did not endorse a candidate for the GOP primary for U.S. Senate. Due to the ongoing redistricting process, which has still not produced valid district maps, endorsements were not made for Congress, state House, and state Senate.
On Thursday night, the Ohio Democratic Party endorsed U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Youngstown) for the Senate primary. He is on the ballot with Columbus consumer protection attorney and community organizer Morgan Harper, and T.J. Johnson, a Columbus area information technology executive
The Democrats did not endorse a candidate for the gubernatorial primary between former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley.
First Published February 18, 2022, 7:05 p.m.
