CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has picked up an interesting endorsement for the gubernatorial campaign he has yet to officially launch.
Columbiana County Republican Party Chairman David Johnson, an influential GOP leader in the state, declared his support for DeWine in a letter sent to other Republicans this week.
“As we look ahead, I wanted to let you know I am supporting Mike DeWine for Governor,” Johnson wrote in the letter, which went to county GOP chairs, members of the party’s state central committee and other activists. “I know he hasn’t announced yet, but I hope to hear something soon. Mike DeWine is one of the most successful and well-liked leaders in Ohio. … And while others walked away from President Trump last fall, Mike DeWine never wavered.”
One reason why Johnson’s backing is significant: He was a vocal supporter of Jane Timken’s takeover of the Ohio Republican Party last month. Timken, with assistance from Trump and his political team, unseated Matt Borges, Gov. John Kasich’s handpicked chairman. DeWine is the only gubernatorial prospect who ultimately supported Borges’ bid to keep the job.
“I don’t think that will hurt him,” Johnson told cleveland.com Thursday in a telephone interview. “There were many different people on many different sides of that question. There were people that were unhappy with me because I was one of Jane’s chief sponsors.”
Timken has pledged to remain neutral as DeWine and several other prominent Republicans have begun vying to succeed the term-limited Kasich. But some Statehouse observers — Kasich operatives, in particular — have speculated that she might be partial to Secretary of State Jon Husted or U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth. Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, who at the last minute shifted her allegiance from Borges to Timken, also is considering a run.
“I’ve been up front and honest with all of them,” Johnson said Thursday. “I have known Mike DeWine the longest and best of all that’s running. It’s nothing personal.”
In his letter, Johnson asserted that DeWine is the strongest candidate to run against Democrats who “are going to try to claw their way back in 2018.” He also cited a Republican super PAC’s recent poll that showed DeWine far out front in the presumptive GOP field.
“I ask everyone to join me in showing early support for DeWine for Governor,” Johnson wrote. “Let’s start today and get behind the candidate … that has the best chance of winning in 2018.”
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