Cincy Reporter

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci is criticizing incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine's new campaign ads and challenging him to meet in a political debate. 

According to a Twitter post by the governor, the new ad was released on March 29 and praises DeWine for reopening Ohio schools, bringing manufacturing jobs to Ohio, and increasing law enforcement funding.

Renacci issued a press release in response to DeWine's ad, pointing out that DeWine lagged behind other conservative governors in reopening schools, and kept a mask mandate in place in schools after doing so. Renacci also reminds voters that DeWine called the protests of 2020 "understandable and appropriate," and that Ohio has been slow to recover economically from the pandemic.

"If Mike DeWine is so anxious about defending his record, he should stop putting out misleading TV ads and join me on a debate stage instead," Renacci said in a statement. "DeWine senses that Ohio Republicans are about to put an end to his four decade political career." 

"Ohioans remember DeWine is the candidate who shut down our schools and then forced our children to wear masks in class," Renacci added. "They remember that DeWine called the Left's 2020 riots 'understandable and appropriate.' They remember that DeWine killed three quarters of a million jobs with his Fauci-inspired lockdowns, and are reminded everyday that Ohio has one of the worst economic recoveries in the nation under his watch. Real conservative leadership is coming soon, and it starts with defeating Mike DeWine in May."  

The Columbus Dispatch reported in March of 2021 that Ohio lost 892,300 jobs in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the unemployment rate hit a state record of 16.4% in April of 2020.

Ohio's unemployment rate in Feb. 2022 was 4.2%, higher than the national average of 3.8%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

After the death of George Floyd in 2020, protesters in Columbus damaged the Ohio Statehouse and several local businesses. DeWine called the protests "understandable and appropriate," ABC News reported.

A recent report from RNC Research listed the top 20 states in terms of job recovery. Ohio didn't make the list. RNC Research noted, "16 of the top 20 states for jobs recovered from the pandemic are led by Republican governors."

A December report from the Tax Foundation ranked Ohio in the bottom 10 for corporate taxes and individual income taxes. Ohio's overall rank was 37th. The state ranked 35th for sales tax, sixth for property tax, and 10th for unemployment insurance tax.

DeWine will face off against Renacci in the May 3, 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary. The winner will go on to appear on ballots for the general election on Nov. 8.