Central Ohio Today

On the heels of Gov. Mike DeWine's ad that sought to put a distance between his policies and that of President Joe Biden, his challenger, Jim Renacci, has released an ad highlighting their similarities.  

The video's narrator states, "There's Joe Biden's way: Higher taxes, wasteful spending and with Biden's inflation, everything costs you more. Then there's the Ohio way: Gov. DeWine balanced the budget, then he cut income taxes to put more money in people's pockets. DeWine's leadership has led to the biggest economic development project in Ohio history, and thousands of new jobs are being created across the state. Gov. Mike DeWine: He fights and wins for Ohio."

Renacci's ad shows news footage of Biden praising DeWine as a "leader" for instituting mask mandates, as well as DeWine "pleading" with schools to implement mask mandates. DeWine says in Renacci's ad, "We've had a good relationship with the Biden administration." The ad concludes with DeWine saying, "I'm proud of what we've done," in reference to his COVID-19 mitigations.

A recent report from RNC Research listed the top 20 states in terms of job recovery and Ohio didn't make the list. RNC Research noted, "Sixteen of the top 20 states for jobs recovered from the pandemic are led by Republican governors."

A recent WalletHub report ranked Ohio the 43rd tax-friendliest state in the nation as Ohioans pay almost 22% more in taxes than the typical American taxpayer.

Ballotpedia reports that DeWine will face Renacci for the GOP gubernatorial primary May 3, with the winner to be on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 8.