Ohio Gov. Mike DeWain was expected to win the primary election for Republican governor in his state on Tuesday, rejecting the challenges of populist detractors who say he is not conservative enough.
NBC News and CNN announced the race for DeWine around 8:17 p.m.
He defeated former Republican Jim Renachi, restaurateur Joe Bliststone and former state official Ron Hood.
DeWine called it “an honor and a privilege” to score the nomination and vowed to “continue to fight and WIN for Ohio.”
DeWain, who was first elected governor in 2018, has faced a wave of resentment over his early restrictions on coronavirus, including mask mandates and social distancing measures. A federal investigation into an Ohio-based power company also caught people near his administration, although Dewain himself has never been accused of wrongdoing.
Long seen as a traditional conservative, DeWine has a long history of public office, including in both houses of Congress and as Ohio’s attorney general, vice governor, and ultimately governor.
Historically, he was not seen as a cultural warrior, but, perhaps in recognition of his right-wing rivals, he leaned toward some popular right-wing causes, including sending troops from the Ohio Highway Patrol to the southern border.
DeWine is also taking advantage of the divided field of contenders, who seem to have split the vote against DeWine.
An April poll by Trafalgar Group, a GOP company, found that Dewine led with 40 percent support, followed by 26 percent for Renacci, 24 percent for Blystone and 2 percent for Hood.
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DeWine was also backed by a lack of participation from former President Trump, who backed Renaci’s candidacy for the Senate in 2018, but stayed out of the race for governor.
With the nomination, DeWine became the favorite to win the general election in November, given the red hue of Ohio, but Democrats said they expect to make the race competitive.
“One million dollars from the RGA may have been enough to save Governor Mike DeWain from these divisive Republican primary elections, but that doesn’t mean the deep problems he has with his own party will go away. DeWine has spent nearly $ 5 million on this race so far, and he’s still the same politician who hasn’t touched Ohio over and over again, “said Noam Lee, executive director of the Association of Democratic Governors.
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