Dayton's Nan Whaley Running For Ohio Governor

DAYTON, OH — Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, a Democrat, announced her bid for Ohio's governorship on Monday. She said on Twitter that she wants to make everyday Ohioans more visible politically. She also said she wants to work community-to-community to rebuild the state.

Elected mayor of Dayton in 2013, Whaley, 41, is seen as an ascendant politician for state Democrats. She moved to Ohio from Indiana to attend the University of Dayton, and began her political career in 2005 with the Dayton City Commission. She spent two terms on city council prior to being elected mayor. She was also the Get Out the Vote Director for US Senator Sherrod Brown.

"I’m running for Governor because too many Ohioans feel invisible to statehouse politicians," she said on Twitter. She adds that "everyday Ohioans" must be put before the "super wealthy" on her website.

Her website offers a glimpse of some of her campaign messaging. She will clearly focus on developing relationships between the state and individual cities, something she has been campaigning for with the Ohio Mayor's Alliance, which brought together the mayors of the state's 30 largest cities. Whaley helped lead the OMA, which is largely bipartisan, so expect her to tout her accomplishments with that group.

She also has spoken extensively about the state's opiate crisis. On her website, she says, "We need to hold the drug companies that caused the heroin crisis accountable."

Whaley will be attempting to stand out from an increasingly crowded field. With Governor John Kasich termed out of running for re-election, both Republicans and Democrats are seeing a surge of candidates seeking their party's nomination.

Democratic contenders include Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni, from the Youngstown area, Former Representative Betty Sutton, and former State Representative Connie Pillitch. Some outlets believe Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Richard Cordray, and former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams may also throw their respective hats in the ring to replace Kasich.

The Republican field is just as crowded.

Secretary of State Jon Husted announced his candidacy on Saturday. Representative Jim Renacci, R-16, declared his intention to claim the seat in late March. State Attorney General Mike DeWine is expected to declare his candidacy soon. And Kasich's number two, Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor has filed the paperwork to make her run official.

You can watch Whaley discussing her 2017 State of the City address in the video below.

Photo from YouTube Screenshot