US primaries: Nan Whaley to take on GOP’s Mike DeWine in Ohio’s governor race

Midterm primary elections results from Ohio have come in and Nan Whaley won the Democratic pass to contest the gubernatorial elections in November. Whaley will go against Mike DeWine, the incumbent Republican governor of the state.

Nan Whaley, the former mayor of Dayton, became the first woman in Ohio’s history to get support from a major party. The 46-year-old beat John Cranley in Tuesday’s primary elections. Whaley had the support of the state’s top Democrat, United States Senator Sherrod Brown, a popular household name, while Cranley had the backing of feminist icon Gloria Steinem.

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DeWine’s bid to secure the gubernatorial ticket from the GOP did not come cheap. The current governor had to pour millions in advertising to overcome his falling approval ratings.

A crowded race in the Republican party split the conservative vote four ways, with DeWine taking the lion’s share. Former US Representative Jim Renacci, former state Representative Ron Hood and farmer Joe Blystone were the top contenders.

DeWine’s, who has a 40-year political career in Ohio– linked his struggle to the backlash he received after imposing COVID-19 shutdowns and mandates in 2020.

Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan, meanwhile, cruised his way to his party’s nomination for an open Senate seat Tuesday and will now take on the winner of one of the most contentious and closely watched Republican primaries in the nation.

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Ryan was heavily favored to win his three-way Democratic primary against progressive Morgan Harper, a former consumer protection attorney, and Columbus activist and tech executive Traci Johnson, according to reports from Associated Press.

Ryan, a 10-term Democratic congressman, has tried to distance himself from the national Democratic Party ahead of what is expected to be a brutal November for Democrats. Campaigning in sweatshirts and baseball caps, he has fashioned himself as a blue-collar crusader fighting for working families.