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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOH-SEN: Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley Considering Run for Portman's Seat.
Senator Rob Portmans announcement on Monday that he would not seek a third term in 2022 sent a shock wave through Ohio politics and dealt a setback to national Republicans who were counting on Mr. Portman, 65, to easily keep his seat in G.O.P. hands next year. By the afternoon, a throng of ambitious Republicans were circling the race, including the far-right Representative Jim Jordan, as well as a few prominent Democrats.
One of those Democrats was Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton. A 45-year-old progressive who campaigned for Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 presidential primaries, Ms. Whaley has long been seen as a likely candidate for governor or Senate. In 2019, she led her city through the aftermath of a mass shooting in which nine people were killed.
Democrats in Ohio have seen the political tide turn hard against them over the past decade, and they have lost three races for governor, two out of four Senate campaigns and nearly every other statewide election, leaving Senator Sherrod Brown, 68, as a lonely Democrat holding high office there. Though Barack Obama won Ohio twice, Donald J. Trump carried it by eight percentage points in both 2016 and 2020.
In an interview with The Times on Monday evening, Ms. Whaley confirmed her interest in being a candidate in 2022 and said President Biden must move swiftly to deliver economic relief to the people in her state. The interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/us/politics/nan-whaley-rob-portman-senate.html
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)RandySF
(59,224 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)demographic in Ohio.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,699 posts)She is a strong, intelligent woman who knows how to govern, and who knows how to avoid being cowed by tRump or anyone like him.
What a great addition she would make to our Senate!
On edit: The article is great and what she says needs to be listened to.
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)CaliforniaPeggy
(149,699 posts)True Blue American
(17,988 posts)But not in rural Ohio.
we can do it
(12,193 posts)Cows dont vote.
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)Rural people do. The cities all go Democrat.
Sherrod is questioning Marcia Fudge now.
Celerity
(43,498 posts)Last edited Thu Jan 28, 2021, 08:55 AM - Edit history (1)
combined, in terms of her attitudes and read on the Ohio vox populi.
We have all recognized, from the close governors race in 18 and the tough presidential races, that we have to have an Ohio-specific message. So, regardless if its a federal race or a local race, there is a message like the message Sherrod Brown delivers that resonates very well in this state. Its not necessarily being a moderate. Its a message of being very real and talking about the issue that affects Ohioans the most, first and that is the fact that for three decades, they have been working harder and harder and getting further behind. The true civil war in the Republican Party gives Democrats in this state a great opportunity.
I think its both, honestly. I think what people forget about Ohio is, its an economic populist state, and its economic populism is why Sherrod does so well here. When Trump was like, $2,000 stimulus checks for everyone, I was like, Absolutely, I agree with Trump, thats right. What people want in Ohio its not complicated. They want to work and they want to get paid decent for that work. Its not rocket science. And over three decades, both parties have not been paying attention to that. I think 22 gives us a real opportunity to localize some of these issues in Ohio.
I am frustrated sometimes with the national messaging, and its not just the Democratic Party. Just, a lot of times, the elitism that comes off from the coasts. Thats a challenge. The Michigan Democratic message? Thats a good message for Ohio.
Its what we choose to talk about first. You know, I was on a call this week with John Kerry and Gina McCarthy about the work on climate change, which we all agree on. But the key, for us, if you look at what Bill Peduto has moved forward with mayors from Ohio and the Ohio River Valley, the Marshall Plan for Middle America we have to bring these jobs to the middle of the country. It cant just be, This is great for the climate. Its also, Its a great job creator. And thats what we should lead with in these states.
No, I dont. I dont think theres anything like that. But I think what we lead with a lot of times comes off in a way that doesnt resonate. One of the challenges in our party is, we have a lot of smart people in the party and everyone wants to be the smartest person in the room. And shouldnt we be focused on what makes peoples lives better, even if its a regular persons idea?
Yes, I do.
Not to be in Covid. We did no voter reg in the state. They [Republicans] did. And then we didnt do any voter contact on the ground, and they did. Im glad we saved lives, dont get me wrong. But that affected our turnout in urban communities, it affected their turnout in rural communities. We did nothing.
They need the rescue package. They need to see that something is different, and its moving quickly. They need to see that they dont have to worry every month on whether or not theyre going to get bailed out at the last minute on unemployment and eviction, even though its no fault of theirs that the pandemic happened to them, and that they happen to work on frontline jobs that people cant go to now because the pandemic is raging. And that weve got their back.
No. No. They want it fast. Nobody cares what happens in D.C. and who voted what. They just want it done, and we should provide that.
I see zero there that gives fuel to your positing.
Edited to add
I am NOT saying that Ryan would not be the best candidate, I just think that Whaley seems possibly viable too.
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)He drove over 200 miles to support her when Trump showed up for a Photo Op.
She said he thought he was in Toledo. He was very rude to all of them. Would not let them go to the Hospital with him. I do not think they wanted to go anyway!
Celerity
(43,498 posts)Ted Lieu (my congressman as I am still registered in his district), Pelosi, Ayanna Pressley, Warren, Booker, and Barbara Lee
Ace Rothstein
(3,183 posts)It is a solid red state now.
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)We gave Obama the Electoral votes to win!
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)Dayton through a group of tornadoes that hit Dayton and the Miami Valley. One hit within half a mile of me. Many are still leveled. She was in charge of rebuilding and modernizing the whole city.
But Tim Ryan is respected all over the State.and the Republican Party is mired in corruption.
roamer65
(36,747 posts)OH-8
I like Marcy.
True Blue American
(17,988 posts)Run for his seat. He is hoping to be Leader.
I have not seen Marcy in any of the articles. Ryan seems to be a favorite.