CLEVELAND, Ohio — Evidence continues to mount that Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci plans to try to break into the already crowded field to be the next governor of Ohio.
Renacci on Monday hosted a group of lobbyists, donors and other Capitol Square insiders at the exclusive Columbus Club, not far from the Ohio Statehouse. An invitation billed the event as Renacci sharing what he “plans to do over the Deneme Bonusu Veren Siteler next couple of months for the state of Ohio.”
At the meet-and-greet event, which around 40 people attended, Renacci didn’t explicitly announce his intention to attempt to succeed the term-limited Gov. John Kasich in 2018, but made it clear that he’s “putting his toe in the water,” according to one source with knowledge of the event. Renacci emphasized his early support of President Donald Trump’s campaign during his remarks.
And in a recent memo obtained by cleveland.com, GOP political consultant Chip Englander described field-tested lines of attack Renacci could use against Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who one recent poll found is by far the race’s most well-known Republican candidate. (The same poll found that 71 percent of Ohioans don’t know who Renacci is.) Englander’s memo does not mention the other Republican prospects for the race, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor.
James Slepian, a Renacci spokesman, in an interview acknowledged Renacci is seriously considering a statewide run.
“For the past several months, Jim has been hearing from more and more people that he should consider running for governor or senator. And the governor’s race seems to be of particular interest to people, given his business background,” Slepian said.
In his memo, Englander, the GOP political consultant, summarized the results of an Ohio poll his firm did in early January in which callers contrasted Renacci, whom they favorably described a “conservative 30 year business leader and political outsider,” with DeWine, who was described as a “42-year career politician.”
Like a similar statewide poll conducted last August, it’s not clear who commissioned the poll, which was clearly heavily skewed in favor of Renacci, who has represented a district including Wayne County and parts of Cuyahoga, Medina, Portgage Summit and Stark counties since 2011. Renacci is an entrepreneur who previously served as major of Wadsworth from 2004 to 2008.
The poll also tested Ohioans for their thoughts about various policies, including a proposal to index the national gas tax to inflation to help fund road and bridge projects, which Renacci proposed in Congress last August.
Englander, whose resume includes stints on Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel’s unsuccessful 2012 senatorial campaign, and Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. Marco Rubio’s respective presidential campaigns in 2016, described the political climate in Ohio as one that could be conducive to a candidate like Renacci, and harmful to a candidate like DeWine.
“Voters’ strong desire for change along with the anti-politician headwinds that propelled Donald Trump to an 8-point win in Ohio are still prevalent today in shaping the political environment of the Buckeye State,” wrote Englander, who did not return messages seeking comment. “…Most damaging for DeWine, the four words are simple, accurate and cannot be rebutted: 42-year career politician.”
The Monday event and the memo are just the latest signs that Renacci plans to run for a statewide office in 2018. On the day of Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, Renacci’s campaign spent $34,000 to air 30-second ads in markets across the state, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown.
The purchase prompted Ohio Democrats to call on Renacci to file a formal declaration of candidacy for statewide office.
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