By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has won a second term in Tuesday's race for the state's chief executive slot against challenger Nan Whaley, a Democrat, who had hoped to regain a seat last held by her party 16 years ago.
DeWine won a surprisingly tight three-way primary in May as conservatives angered by his efforts to slow COVID-19 sought to unseat him. Whaley handily defeated former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley in her primary. DeWine and Whaley bonded over the 2019 mass shooting that killed nine in Dayton. But Whaley had increasingly criticized the governor for his failure to pass stronger gun laws and for his anti-abortion stance.
Races for four other statewide offices were also being contested Tuesday, for Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer, and Secretary of State, all seats currently held by incumbent Republicans.
Races for Ohio House and Senate seats are the first test of new legislative maps drawn by the Ohio Redistricting Commission meant to reduce gerrymandering. The maps before voters were found unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court but a panel of federal judges ordered them used for this election only.
In two Supreme Court races, Democrats were hoping to regain control of the court for the first time since 1986. Voters also have two ballot issues before them: requiring judges to consider criminal suspects' threat to public safety when setting bail amounts; and prohibiting local governments from allowing non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections.
In the governor's race, DeWine, 75, has portrayed himself as above the campaign fray and has declined to debate Whaley. His campaign resisted attack ads against Whaley until last month, when it criticized her for supporting the American Rescue Plan Act in her role as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The ads fail to mention that DeWine has promoted grants the state received through the pandemic relief measure.
Whaley, 46, has said DeWine was afraid of debate questions about his role in a $60 million bribery scheme aimed at passing legislation to prop up Ohio's two nuclear power plants; the controversy over a 10-year-old Ohio girl forced to seek an abortion in Indiana after being raped; and DeWine's signing of a law allowing school districts to arm trained employees.
DeWine has said Ohioans already know him and his positions well. Besides being one of the state's most familiar politicians, DeWine also spent months at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic appearing in daily statewide broadcasts.
------
Follow AP's coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections
FILE - Nan Whaley, former mayor of Dayton and Democratic candidate for governor, speaks at the Paul Robeson Cultural & Performing Arts Center at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, seeking a second term, and Whaley bonded over the 2019 mass shooting that killed nine in Dayton. But Whaley increasingly criticized the governor for his failure to pass stronger gun laws and for his anti-abortion stance. (Meg Vogel/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP, Pool)