Former House Republican to challenge DeWine for Ohio gubernatorial nomination

A former House Republican is challenging Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in the state’s 2022 gubernatorial primary.

Former Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) on Wednesday announced the run on local radio station WTAM and told the Cincinnati Enquirer that “Ohio cannot afford for Mike DeWine to be the governor anymore.”

DeWine has been governor of Ohio since 2019 and will be running for reelection.

Renacci is currently the chairman of the Medina County Republican Party. He served four terms in the House before giving up his seat in 2018 to mount an unsuccessful Senate campaign.

Renacci is a backer of former President Trump and is expected to appeal to the wide swath of the Republican Party that backs the former president. He has attacked DeWine for his coronavirus pandemic restrictions, sounding a similar note to Trump.

Brad Parscale, a former campaign manager for Trump, will be advising Renacci, NBC News reported last month.

A source also told the outlet last month that it is unlikely Trump will endorse Renacci due to his failure to win the 2018 Senate race.

A number of Republican governors are seeing primary challenges from adamant Trump supporters who believe they did not support the president enough.