Opinion: Mike DeWine, The Candidate With A Vision For Ohio

John Gomez
Contributing Writer

It took less than 10 seconds for Richard Cordray to attack Mike DeWine during last week’s first Ohio Gubernatorial debate, held here at the University of Dayton. Cordray’s attacks did not stop there and only seemed to intensify as the debate went on. Despite what Cordray may think, these attacks did not reveal Mike DeWine to be an incompetent, out of touch politician. Instead they exposed Cordray as a candidate devoid of any vision for Ohio.

Ohio, and Dayton specifically, has suffered immensely when it comes to the Heroin and Opiate Crisis. As Attorney General, Mike DeWine has been one of the leaders in the fight against this epidemic and as Governor will be able to expand his efforts. DeWine’s 12 Point Plan to combat this crisis attacks the crisis from all sides using proven methods to prevent use, punish traffickers, and help those on the road to recovery receive the held and assistance they so desperately need. Relying on law enforcement, education, and community outreach are the key pillars of DeWine’s approach.

Cordray’s plan? To support Issue 1, which would make Ohio a haven for drug dealers. Put simply, under Issue 1 someone possessing enough fentanyl to kill 10,000 people would not be arrested but would instead be given the equivalent of a traffic ticket. Under this proposal, someone would need to be caught three times for the same crime within 24 months before being arrested. Issue 1 would take away leverage from judges to effectively handle this crisis and would make Ohio and Dayton a major distribution center for drug dealers.

This irresponsible policy endorsement, unfortunately, perfectly fits into Cordray’s “leadership” style. While the head of Obama’s Consumer Protection Finance Bureau, 25% of women and minorities in the agency reported being the victims of discrimination. Cordray did nothing. By the time Cordray left the Attorney General’s office, there were 12,000 untested rape kits in the agency’s backlogs. Upon taking over the Attorney General’s office, Mike DeWine ensured this backlog was cleared and that the rapists that were free to walk the streets under Cordray were arrested and no longer able to attack others. While DeWine was delivering justice for those had been ignored by Cordray, Cordray was in DC over-regulating and attacking Ohio businesses as a head of the CFPB.

It’s clear why Cordray decided to spend the bulk of his time attacking DeWine during last week’s debate. He has no vision. He didn’t want voters to hear about DeWine’s plans to make Ohio a leader in education, innovation, and prosperity. He didn’t want voters to be reminded of his own record of failure and ineffectiveness. He didn’t want voters to realize that he doesn’t have a real vision for Ohio’s future. Most importantly, he didn’t want voters to be reminded of DeWine’s successful record of public service and leadership.

This November the choice is clear. Ohio voters can choose the candidate with a vision for an innovative, educated, and prosperous Ohio positioned to be a leader for decades to come, or they can choose Richard Cordray.

Photo courtesy of The Columbus Dispatch.