Sunday, June 25, 2017
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.