Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley enters Ohio governor’s race

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two-term Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley joined the contention for Ohio politician connected Tuesday, pledging to modernize Ohio's infrastructure and system with proceeds from legalizing marijuana and to extract wealth from vigor companies for homeowner rebates that volition assistance assistance household budgets.

With the motorboat of his run Tuesday, Cranley joins his friend, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, successful the Democratic field. She announced her bid April 19. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to tally for a 2nd term, a run that volition statesman with a contested primary.

Cranley, 47, had been exploring a bid for the Democratic information for months and had raised much than $1.3 cardinal for the effort arsenic of July. Whaley reported raising much than $1.6 million.

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First elected politician successful 2013, Cranley is term-limited from moving again this year. He points to his grounds arsenic main enforcement of a large metropolis that's increasing portion others languish to amusement his capableness to pb the state.

“Ohio needs a comeback and deserves a politician who has led a comeback,” Cranley told The Associated Press successful an interview. “It's not going to beryllium casual to instrumentality a authorities similar Ohio, which similar truthful galore successful the Midwest has been successful decline, and to person it travel backmost again, but that's what we're going to do.”

He said the GOP-controlled authorities Legislature has been tainted by corruption and puts the interests of large corporations implicit workers. He said helium volition marque “jobs, jobs, and much jobs” his priority.

Cranley’s economical program calls for creating 30,000 caller $60,000-a-year jobs annually successful specified areas arsenic precocious manufacturing and renewable energy, and to amended Ohio roads, h2o systems and broadband networks.

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He proposes utilizing taxation gross from legalizing recreational marijuana, present ineligible successful neighboring Michigan and 17 different states, to wage for his programs. He besides would reconfigure Ohio's privatized occupation instauration office, JobsOhio. He besides proposes offering Ohio homeowners $500 dividends paid for from vigor institution profits.

As mayor, Cranley, who doubly mislaid legislature races against Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot of Cincinnati, aggressively pursued a caller shot stadium task that helped the metropolis onshore a Major League Soccer franchise and helped Cincinnati constabulary get a cutting-edge ShotSpotter gunshot detection system.

His 2018 feud with a metropolis manager who accused Cranley of overstepping his authorization to undermine the metropolis manager's relation drew disapproval from immoderate chap Democrats. The metropolis manager yet resigned with a severance agreement.

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Republican Governors Association spokesperson Chris Gustafson said the Democratic superior for politician is "pitting 2 failed mayors successful a contention to the left.”

“We look guardant to Mayor Cranley and Whaley explaining to Ohioans President Biden’s soaring ostentation and the rising transgression successful Democrat-run cities similar Cincinnati and Dayton," helium said successful a statement. "By the clip adjacent autumn arrives, some volition beryllium thoroughly defined arsenic being retired of measurement with mainstream voters and excessively wide for Ohio.”

Although Cranley, a Roman Catholic, personally opposes abortion, helium doesn't deliberation authorities should walk restrictions connected the process that spark expensive, often unsuccessful, ineligible battles due to the fact that “it's conscionable not a bully usage of scarce resources.”

“I'm pro-choice. I've struggled arsenic a substance of faith,” said Cranley, who supports same-sex marriage. As governor, Cranley said helium would veto immoderate incursions connected the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade determination legalizing abortion.

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The well-funded EMILY's List, which supports pro-abortion-rights women successful politics, slammed Cranley Tuesday for “seeking to gloss implicit his anterior anti-abortion statements” by saying helium favors termination rights. The radical has endorsed Whaley.

Cranley and Whaley, besides archetypal elected politician successful 2013, see each different friends and are successful connection astir weeks.

“She is simply a adjacent person and I deliberation she's done a batch of bully things for Dayton," Cranley said. He said, with some running, "that means we're going to extremity up with a bully campaigner for governor.”

Whaley unveiled her ain jobs program connected Monday, conscionable steps from Cranley’s bureau successful Cincinnati. It calls for a $15 minimum wage and, similar Cranley’s, investments successful renewable energy. She besides proposes directing authorities wealth and assistance to those businesses that wage a just wage and kickstarting a ReInvent Ohio inaugural for entrepreneurs.

At a follow-up lawsuit successful Columbus connected Tuesday, Whaley said her working-class background, benignant of governing and sex volition acceptable her isolated from Cranley successful the primary. “I don't cognize if you noticed, but I bash look antithetic than each azygous campaigner that's moving for politician today,” she said.

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Asked whether the enactment should beryllium trying for a divers tract adjacent year, Cranley, who is white, replied: “I spot the Democratic superior voters to prime the champion campaigner to triumph the wide election." He said helium has been committed to diverseness crossed metropolis departments and wrong his ain unit arsenic politician and would proceed that inclination arsenic governor.

Cranley, a Harvard-educated lawyer, and his wife, Dena, person a son.

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Former AP newsman Dan Sewell contributed to this study from Cincinnati.

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