DeWine expected to announce candidacy for governor at ice cream social today

COLUMBUS

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is scheduled to make an appearance this afternoon where he’s widely expected to announce he’s running for governor.

The 70-year-old Republican, a former U.S. senator and lieutenant governor, plans remarks at his annual ice cream social at his Cedarville home in southwest Ohio. The social has become a mainstay of Ohio summer politics.

Cedarville University political scientist Mark Caleb Smith says DeWine should be an instant front-runner with his name recognition and favorability among voters, extensive political network and more than $2.5 million in his campaign war chest.

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.