Husted joins DeWine ticket in gubernatorial race

COLUMBUS — Secretary of State Jon Husted has ended his gubernatorial campaign and is joining Attorney General Mike DeWine as his lieutenant governor running mate.

The two made the announcement official today. It pairs the two leading Republican candidates for governor in a powerhouse ticket.

In an email, Husted said he made the decision to be DeWine’s running mate because “Republicans have been fighting with each other long enough. Had I continued my run for governor, Mike and I would have fought a brutal campaign that would have left the winner bruised and broken with only a few months to rebuild in time for the general election. We would have spent millions of dollars fighting each other rather than focusing on winning the election that really matters in November.”

Two other Republicans remain in the race — U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor. Taylor has called a press conference for later today to make “an announcement regarding the future of her campaign.”

On the Democratic side, there are five candidates with Richard Cordray, a former attorney general and state treasurer, expected to announce his candidacy shortly.