COLUMBUS, Ohio — Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published as Renacci conceded the 2018 Senate race against Sherrod Brown on Nov. 6, 2018.
“We don’t want Cuomo 2.0. We don’t want to be New York. Ohio First means America First. Are you ready?”
That was part of a tweet from former U.S. Congressman Jim Renacci on Wednesday morning. It’s the latest in a series of recent tweets in which Renacci has made multiple posts about various statewide issues while questioning Gov. DeWine’s leadership. This increased focus on the governor's office seems to hint at Renacci's potential interest in entering the 2022 race.
“Don’t like the gas prices we’re paying at the pump?” he tweeted on June 7. “You can thank Mike DeWine for raising the gas tax in 2019.”
On June 6, Renacci tweeted "Ohio needs a LEADER" coupled with the following message: "Ohio needs a governor who will stand up for the working people of Ohio, NOT corporations shipping our jobs to China & Mexico. When Ford moved $900 billion from Avon to Mexico, where was DeWine? When Kellogg’s moved a plant to Tennessee, where was DeWine?"
Here's more examples from Renacci’s recent tweets that point to a possible gubernatorial campaign:
Despite these tweets, Renacci has not formally announced any plans to enter the race.
On the opposite side of the political aisle, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley (D) made headlines back in April after announcing she was running for governor.
“If we’re going to rebuild Ohio, give our kids the education we long promised but never delivered, where all you need is one good job to give your family everything you need, then we need to break up the monopoly on political power in Columbus where the same crew has been in charge for 30 years,” she said in her campaign video.
Gov. DeWine has previously said he plans to run again in 2022.
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