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DeWine: Crowded field could hurt GOP
HOWLAND
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine expressed some concern the crowded Republican presidential field could adversely impact his political party’s chances to capture the seat next year.
“Democrats, they’ll fight, and then after the fight it’s OK,” said DeWine, a Republican, at a Thursday event sponsored by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s Government Affairs Council at Leo’s Ristorante. “Republicans sort of have a hard time getting over fights, so we don’t like getting into fights. Usually there’s a front-runner. I don’t think anybody’s the front-runner in the presidential race. I think this thing is wide open, and it’s going to be fascinating to watch.”
DeWine is backing Ohio Gov. John Kasich for president, saying he is the best and most-experienced person in the 17-person Republican presidential field.
DeWine said he has “a real, real interest [in becoming governor], but this is not the time or the place” to discuss it.
If Kasich doesn’t get elected president in 2016, his gubernatorial term expires at the end of 2018. DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted are considered the Republicans’ leading candidates to succeed Kasich.
DeWine also discussed the marijuana-legalization amendment that will be on the November ballot.
DeWine, who opposes the proposal, said investors with ResponsibleOhio, which is backing the proposal, is committing $20 million toward the effort to get it approved by voters.
“You can buy a lot of persuasive arguments with $20 million,” he said.
DeWine also said voters will be confused when they vote because another item on the statewide ballot is a charter amendment from the General Assembly to essentially nullify the ResponsibleOhio proposal by outlawing monopolies.
Husted has said the state Legislature proposal would trump the marijuana-legalization proposal. ResponsibleOhio disagrees.
“Both of them could conceivably pass,” DeWine said. “I can’t tell you what’s going to happen after that. We don’t really know for sure. People can give you an educated guess. What I do know is it will be [settled] in court.”