Governor
Richard Cordray (D) |
Mike DeWine (R) |
Bio: I am lifelong Ohioan, born and raised in Grove City, where both of my parents dedicated their careers to working on behalf of people with disabilities. They taught me that there’s no higher calling than dedicating yourself to the service of others, a lesson I have never forgotten. It’s why I have dedicated my life to standing up to corporate wrongdoers on behalf of working families. I believe people deserve to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect, and that too often they are left behind while the system serves the special interests. That’s why I am running for Governor to change the system so that it works for Ohioans and their families. My experiences at the CFPB, as Ohio Attorney General, Ohio Treasurer, have led me to understand what it means to push through the bureaucracy of government to get things done that will improve people’s lives. I am proud to have helped change many lives for the better. I now look forward to the challenge of serving as the next Governor of Ohio and putting the force of state government to work for the people of this state. |
Bio: I was raised in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and met my wife, Frances Struewing, in the first grade. We got married while at Miami University and are the parents of eight children and the grandparents of 23 grandchildren (with another on the way)! Family is at the core of everything we do, and that’s why I’ve devoted my career to protecting Ohio’s families. When families are strong, our future is brighter. My family started a seed company. Working alongside my parents and grandparents, I learned the value of hard work, leadership, and fiscal responsibility. My parents were married for 65 years. The values I learned from them still live within me today. Each day, my office deals with barriers our state is facing: drugs, crime, and fragmented families. When I discovered that law enforcement agencies in the state had untested rape kits, I hired ten additional scientists to test them. We’ve tested almost 14,000 previously untested rape kits that have led to prosecuting at least 300 serial rapists. I have served as Greene County Prosecuting Attorney, in the Ohio State Senate, in the United States House of Representatives, as Ohio Lieutenant Governor, and in the United States Senate. |
What would be your top priorities as governor? As governor, I will put money back into the pockets of middle class Ohioans by increasing access to affordable health care, getting the education and training we need for our children to be effective in the workplace, and spreading out economic opportunity through all parts of Ohio We must build an inclusive economy that works for us all. For median household income, we are 38th of the 50 states, nearly 9% below the national average. We must build a stronger education system. We have slipped from 5th to 22nd in K-12 education, as reported by Education Week. And a sorry 45th in the nation in college affordability. We must stop diverting money from our public schools to failing for-profit charter schools that do not serve Ohio well. We must protect the Medicaid expansion and make health care more accessible and affordable for all Ohioans. And we must stop the opioid crisis, which has been disastrously neglected by our state leaders. We are now losing 14 people a day to these drugs, far worse than most states. As the state legislature undercuts local services, we had the 3rd largest increase in deaths. |
What would your top priorities be as governor? First, we must aggressively tackle the opioid epidemic, which is killing Ohioans every day and holding back our economy. As Governor, I will immediately begin implementing our 12-point Recovery Ohio action plan, which is a comprehensive approach that includes getting more people into treatment, adding more drug courts in Ohio, establishing K-12 prevention education, and giving people hope for the future. We have a skills gap in Ohio and must focus on vocational training to help adults find good careers. Our administration will also work to ensure that every student graduates from high school either college-ready or on a pathway to a rewarding career and a good-paying job. Also, too many young people are reaching adulthood without the tools to be successful or self-sufficient. That’s why I have a bold vision to invest more in early childhood development and in providing services to at-risk, first-time moms to help ensure that every Ohio child gets the very best start in life and has the skills to succeed. |
As governor, what actions will you take to end the opioid crisis in Ohio? We are now losing 14 people a day to these drugs, far worse than most states. Drug overdose fatalities rose 39% from mid-2016 to mid-2017, nearly triple the national average. As the state legislature undercuts local services, we had the 3rd largest increase in deaths without meaningful action. Local first responders must have the resources and tools they need for prevention, education, and law enforcement efforts, including Naloxone and a greater availability of treatment beds. Cutting local government funding for first responders has been shortsighted and detrimental. After years of inaction, state officials have only recently begun to take any steps to address this crisis that ballooned to epic proportions on their watch. This crisis is like a non-stop hurricane. As Governor, I would immediately declare a “state of emergency” requiring the strategic coordination of federal, state, and local government resources and community-based efforts. I will also protect the medicaid expansion and increase local capacity. We cannot allow this framework and these resources to be rolled back. Finally, dozens of pending lawsuits must hold companies accountable for harming our people and our communities, and we must require industry officials to provide resources to address the devastating effects. |
As governor, what actions will you take to end the opioid crisis in Ohio? Ohio law enforcement, drug treatment specialists, and many others have been working hard to fight the opioid crisis. A year ago, I introduced a 12-point comprehensive action plan to aggressively fight the epidemic. Our Ohio Recovery plan includes dramatically expanding drug courts in our state, implementing age appropriate K-12 prevention education, and significantly increasing substance use treatment capacity in Ohio. Also, our administration will create a 21st century law enforcement data-sharing and analytics infrastructure for Ohio law enforcement and expand proven drug task force models to target and disrupt the flow of money and drugs. You can read the full 12-point action plan on my website at MikeDeWine.com/recoveryohio. Additionally, I was one of the first Attorney Generals in the country to file a lawsuit against the five leading drug manufacturers, and I intend to use those settlement funds to help to implement this 12-point drug plan. |
at is your plan to increase access to affordable healthcare? From day one, Betty and I have promised to defend John Kasich’s Medicaid expansion. That has not changed. The program keeps our health care costs down. It covers insurance for 700,000 Ohioans. It keeps our hospitals open and supports thousands of jobs across the state. The Medicaid expansion also affects health care costs for all the rest of us. Because if Ohioans lose access to health care, they will wait until they are in an emergency room with much more serious problems before seeing a doctor. And the cost of their uncompensated care will drive up premiums for all the rest of us. But that does not mean the Medicaid expansion is perfect. Ohio can do a better job of focusing its resources on preventative and proactive care. That means investing in prenatal services for pregnant moms. Vaccines and immunizations for young children. Blood pressure screenings and regular check-ups for all adults. Whether you get coverage through Medicaid, the Marketplace, or through your employer, you deserve high quality, high value health care. Ohio can and should invest in high quality programs; encouraging providers to make them available to all patients, regardless of the insurance they use. |
What is your plan to increase access to affordable healthcare? First, I support healthcare coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Additionally, it is very important that Ohioans have access to affordable care and prescription drugs, which are one of the biggest drivers of healthcare costs. As Attorney General, I was one of the first Attorney Generals to put the pharmaceutical middle-men on notice that their price gouging would not be tolerated. As Governor, we will get rid of these middle-men and create a transparent bidding process to ensure Ohio is getting the best price on prescription drugs. Our administration will keep Medicaid expansion, while continuing to reform the program. We support a reasonable work requirement for adults who are healthy and able to work. Our goal is to get these adults work-ready so they can get into the workforce and off government assistance. We will focus on connecting people in the expansion population, who are able to work, with job training and available jobs. We will also focus on improving health outcomes to drive down future costs by requiring the managed care plans to educate consumers about preventative healthcare. The more we can do to prevent chronic conditions, the more we can get people appropriate care and control healthcare spending. |