DeWine In Trouble as He Battles Another Primary Challenge From the Right and Slips in Popularity

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is struggling to fend off attacks from within his own party, following increasing and national reports that failed Senate candidate and former Congressman Jim Renacci is seriously considering launching a primary campaign to unseat DeWine. 

The possibility of a primary challenge is bolstered by multiple polls indicating that DeWine is vulnerable to attack, with some polls showing him trailing Renacci in double digits. In fact, NBC reported that Trump’s pollster found that “in a hypothetical head-to-head contest, Renacci led DeWine, 42 percent to 34 percent, including undecided voters who leaned toward one or the other.”

Renacci is even building up his team with Brad Parscale, Trump’s one-time campaign manager, taking the lead. Renacci is building his likely campaign platform off of Donald Trump’s extreme agenda and classified Ohio as, “not a Republican state. This is not a Democrat state. This is a Trump state.” 

The news of an imminent primary challenge comes after reporting that under DeWine’s lack of leadership, Ohio is the #1 state in the country in public corruption, thanks to a multi-million dollar bribery scandal that DeWine is deeply tied to. 

“It’s becoming increasingly likely that Mike DeWine is in for a brutal primary competition that will be about divisive and unpopular policies,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Sam Newton. “As DeWine battles attacks from within his own party, he’ll be forced to double down on extremism if he wants a shot at making it to the general election. Even if he does manage to push through to November, he’ll still have to answer for his corruption and his repeated failures in leadership.”