President Donald Trump appeared to hint at supporting a primary challenge to Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in a tweet he sent out Monday.
"Who will be running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio? Will be hotly contested!" the president wrote.
Trump's comment came after DeWine, who was a co-chair of the president’s reelection campaign in Ohio, told CNN on Sunday that the president should start the transition to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump has continued to insist that he won the election and has refused to concede the race to Biden, saying there was widespread fraud in several key states, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The president's remarks added fuel to what some were speculating could be a potential gubernatorial primary challenge from Rep. Jim Renacci for the 2022 election, especially after Renacci tweeted, "Open up Ohio. Ditch DeWine" — one of a string of messages over the weekend on Twitter criticizing his fellow Republican.
Although Renacci has not declared that he is running for governor, he said, "It's always the right for citizens to primary or run for office if they believe change is necessary. I never feared a primary when I was running," the Dispatch reported.
Renacci has insisted that DeWine should not issue unilateral shutdown orders in response to the coronavirus crisis and should instead work with the Ohio General Assembly on a solution to the pandemic.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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