Mike DeWine: What you should know about Ohio’s GOP candidate for governor
By Kyle Kelly
The number 4,578 is just a figure to some people, but to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine it may be the most significant number in his 38 years and counting in public office in the State of Ohio. DeWine was the man who responded for Ohio to a federal Justice Department report dating back to 2009 and media coverage of it, revealing that there were thousands of rape kits that were going untested by law enforcement agencies across the country. In 2012, a year after becoming Ohio’s attorney general, DeWine hired 10 forensic scientists to test the kits that had ben left untouched in his state. As of June 1, 2017, DeWine’s office announced that more than 4,578 “hits” have been made, linking the crimes to rapists within the Combined DNA Index System.
A few weeks after that June 2017 announcement, DeWine declared that he would run for the highest public office in the state of Ohio, the governorship. DeWine made his announcement in classic Ohioan manner, at his home in Cedarville, Ohio. Cedarville is a small town near Dayton with a population of 4,019 — less than the number of rape kits that went untested in terms of pure numbers. This campaign launch was held at his annual ice cream social, when DeWine invites all residents in Ohio to his home for a festive celebration on an annual basis.
DeWine entered the 2018 Ohio gubernatorial race with decades of experience in Ohio public office. After receiving his bachelor of science degree in education from Miami University of Ohio in 1969 and following up that degree with a Juris Doctor from Ohio Northern University’s College of Law in 1971, he was well equipped for a life of public service in his home state.
At 25 years old, DeWine began his public service career as an assistant prosecuting attorney. In 1976, he was elected county prosecutor for Greene County. After four years, he followed this by becoming a member of the Ohio Senate, representing the state’s 10th District (1981–1982), then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 7th District (1983–1991), then lieutenant governor of Ohio (1991–1994), then United States senator from Ohio (1995–2007), and most recently, attorney general of Ohio (2011–2018). This full slate of public service in Ohio can only serve as an advantage for DeWine in the Nov. 6 election.
DeWine, who is 71, participated in the Oct. 8 Ohio Gubernatorial Debate at Cleveland State University against Democrat Richard Cordray, in front of hundreds in attendance in the CSU student center.
With a navy blue backdrop and a navy blue tablecloth, DeWine sported a red tie, spotted with faint white spots. On the other end of the table, his opponent, Cordray, wore a dark red tie with diagonal white stripes. It sometimes seems that these candidates spend as much time picking out their wardrobe as they do speaking to the media. Typically the latter is quick, rehearsed, and pre-chosen.
“You could tell that his answers were well rehearsed. In his defense, that is just the nature of politics,” said Olivia Shackleton, a John Carroll student and political reporting intern at Cleveland.com, who attended the event.
Days earlier, before the Cleveland State debate, Shackleton had a face-to-face, sit-down meeting with DeWine and Cordray with the editorial board of Cleveland.com. The purpose of the meeting was to collectively endorse one candidate.
“They (DeWine and Cordray) seemed very comfortable around each other. It was just another day at the office for both of them. You could tell they were very informal with how they addressed each other,” said Shackleton.
The same would not remain true at the Cleveland State debate. However, despite the increased formality, both DeWine and Cordray were surprisingly respectful of each other, each allowing their opponent to clearly finish his points if he went into overtime.
One of those points was reflecting upon the school system in the State of Ohio.
“I will fight every single day the children in the State of Ohio. Our goal is for every child in the state to have a shot at the American dream,” said DeWine.
In an interview with DeWine’s campaign manager Josh Eck, he made it a priority to speak up almost immediately about the school system.
“When our kids graduate from high school, we want to make sure that they are either college- or career-ready,” Eck explained.
For those continuing their education to college, DeWine believes that the cost of education is too expensive, “We have to keep our college costs down. They are graduating with tremendous debt. We are going to do everything we can to keep the cost down,” DeWine said in the debate.
Eck elaborated on this statement by saying, “We plan to initiate a policy that would implement a same-cost tuition for all four years of college. We would do this by having the student sign a contract with the university, agreeing upon the same price tuition for all four years at that university.”
Among other issues that DeWine is well invested in are the opioid epidemic, healthcare, and creating jobs for the Ohio residents.
With exactly three weeks before the election at the time of the Cleveland debate, tensions were heating up — if they were not blazing hot already. Despite his 71 years of age, DeWine was still touring across the state on a seven-day-a-week basis, according to Eck. Yet he did not appear stressed at the Cleveland.com editorial board meeting.
“Almost immediately when meeting DeWine, I received that ‘grandpa-like’ feel with him. That did not come as a surprise, [given] that he has 23 or so grandchildren,” Shackleton said. “Whether his age becomes an advantage or disadvantage, it depends on the way you look at it,” she added.
“Cordray, being that he is younger, relates to the younger generation more, but DeWine represents more compassion with his older age.”
From here on out, it is pretty much up to the people of Ohio to decide which candidate suits best for 2018 and beyond. The debates have been finalized and the time has come to elect the future Ohio leader.
As for DeWine’s plans if he does not win, Eck said, “The attorney general is not even thinking about that. We feel confident with where we are, and we believe we will win.”
