Royal Rumble In Ohio GOP Primary

Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor Torches Republican “Coronation,” “Good-old-boy Bullying”

The Ohio Republican primary is getting nasty, as the GOP establishment put its thumb on the scale over the weekend for Mike DeWine and Jon Husted giving them the official endorsement of the party. 

Not surprisingly, DeWine’s primary opponent, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, lit into the leadership of the Republican Party. Here are some of the highlights:

• Taylor called DeWine a “creature of the establishment, and a shill for the entrenched special interests and lobbyists who stalk the halls of the Statehouse looking for a handout.”
• Taylor attacked DeWine for having a “liberal voting record” and said he is soft on gun rights and immigration.
• Taylor invoked Ronald Reagan to decry the Ohio GOP for choosing the “old guard, career politician over the true conservative.”
• Finally, she would not support Attorney General Mike DeWine for governor in Ohio’s general election if he prevails in their race for the Republican nomination.

Ouch.

If that wasn’t enough, the conservative-leaning Canton Repository editorial board took the Ohio GOP to task for exacerbating its problems with women voters, writing, “Why perpetuate the perception the Republican Party, at the state and national levels, has a “women problem” and misogynistic tendencies?”

“Republicans were trying to clear a path for their fellow member of the establishment and it clearly backfired,” said DGA Communications Director Jared Leopold. “Whoever emerges from this bitter primary is going into the general election with a divided party that will take months to heal – if it ever does.”