CEDARVILLE, Ohio - Attorney General Mike DeWine has entered the 2018 race for Ohio governor positioned as one of the state’s longest serving and best-known politicians.
The 70-year-old Republican made his long-anticipated announcement Sunday at his annual ice cream social at his Cedarville home in southwest Ohio. The social shows off the former U.S. senator and lieutenant governor’s deep political roots in the state.
It’s not clear how well DeWine’s traditional political profile will serve him in a national political climate that’s been upended by President Donald Trump. DeWine’s two announced Republican challengers are already employing some of Trump’s populist campaign tactics.
Cedarville University political scientist Mark Caleb Smith says DeWine’s wide name recognition and favorability among voters, extensive political network and $2.5 million campaign fund should make him an instant front-runner.
