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With the Midterms quickly approaching on November 8th, there are thousands of elections across the United States and hundreds in Ohio alone. One of Ohio’s most important races is the election for governor, with incumbent Mike Dewine facing off against Democrat Nan Whaley.
Whaley was born in Indiana but came to Ohio to attend the University of Dayton where she became the first person in her family to graduate college. She was elected as Mayor of Dayton in 2013. Whaley's biggest challenge as Mayor of Dayton was facing the Opioid crisis, during which she successfully cut Dayton’s opioid deaths in half. She also led a battle to fix Dayton's broken education system. She dealt with a KKK rally, a terrible tornado, and a shooting that left 9 dead. She faced a lot of adversity as Mayor of Dayton.
Whaley's policies align with most Democrats. She is strict on guns and hopes to repeal Mike Dewine's Constitutional Carry and Stand Your Ground laws, legalize abortion at all stages of pregnancy, support green energy and the climate, and keep education at the forefront. Whaley also wants to create new jobs and focus more on Appalachian communities in Ohio. One of Whaley’s largest struggles is name recognition, as she is not widely known. Although Dewine has more of the show because he has already served in the office, Whaley has many qualifications and a lot of experience.
Mike Dewine is the incumbent candidate who is campaigning for reelection. Dewine has a lot of political experience from before he was elected governor. He was first elected as a prosecutor in Greene County Ohio in 1976. He later served in the Ohio Senate between 1981 and 1982. After that, he was elected to Ohio's 7th district in the US House of Representatives where he served until 1991. He was then Lieutenant Governor under Republican George Voinovich. He resigned from that position in 1994 when he was elected to the US Senate. He won re-election to the Senate in 2000 but then lost his seat to Sherrod Brown in 2006. Dewine was then elected Attorney General of Ohio which he held until 2019 when he assumed the office of the Governor of Ohio.
Dewine's policies align with those of other Republicans, including former president Donald Trump. He defends gun rights, is starchly opposed to abortion, strongly supports the military, supports lower taxes, is very job oriented, and wants to continue to boost Ohio’s economy. His handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was widely supported among Ohioans and has helped to keep Ohio on top throughout the crisis. He has initiatives in place like H2Ohio, which is a way to boost the quality of water in areas of Ohio. He has also led initiatives to boost education and help children in the foster care system with his “Children's Initiative.”
According to Maristpoll, Dewine has 53% in polling while Nan Whaley has 40%, putting him at a 13% lead.
Only time will tell how this election will play out for each side of the political aisle.