GOP & Democrat Gubernatorial Contests Mirror National Trends

Mike DeWine & Mary Taylor are both trying to out-Trump each other. Taylor has built some momentum in the last few weeks and is spending some serious cash. They’re both courting Republican voters that helped Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton by a healthy margin in the 2016 General Election. This voting bloc will need to show up for the Republican nominee come November to ensure the Governor’s Mansion stays in Republican hands.

There are four major candidates in the race for the Democrats. The Ohio Democratic Party has worked hard to secure the nomination for Rich Cordray and he has a clear fundraising advantage. With the three remaining candidates from the Northeast Ohio area, I see them taking votes away from each other rather than Rich. Kucinich is a sleeper. He has high name recognition and support from the progressive wing of the party.

Can Jim Renacci hold off Mike Gibbons?

Congressman Jim Renacci likes to tell folks on the campaign trail that he went to D.C. in 2010 to shake-up the status-quo after seeing his car dealership shut down by the Feds. Well fast-forward eight years and he is now being labeled part of the Washington D.C. establishment as he looks to fend off political upstart Mike Gibbons, a businessman from Northeast Ohio. Renacci, who was initially running for Ohio Governor, arrived late to the primary following the departure of State Treasurer Josh Mandel from the race due to personal family matters.

Ohio House GOP Primaries

Slobber-knocker is putting it lightly. These GOP candidates aren’t pulling any punches and are spending a lot of resources in the process. A well recruited slate of highly motivated House Democrat candidates awaits in a November mid-term where they’ll likely have strong political headwinds.

Open-Seat GOP Congressional Contests

The last Republican open seat primary election saw political unknown, now-Congressman, Warren Davidson defeat a crowded field of more established candidates in the John Boehner’s old seat. Will we see something similar play out tonight in Ohio’s 12th and 16th Congressional Districts?

Get your popcorn ready.