Ohio Senator Joe Schiavoni Announces Bid For Governor

YOUNGSTOWN, OH - Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni, from the Youngstown area, made official his bid for governor on Wednesday. The Democrat sent out a press release announcing his intentions to replace longtime Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Schiavoni took aim at the Republican infrastructure in his release, saying it was a major reason for his candidacy. "After seven years of Republican control, we still don't have the high-paying jobs that places like Youngstown, Toledo, and the Ohio Valley so desperately need," he said.

The race for the governorship will be wide-open. Incumbent John Kasich has been termed out of the position and is unable to run for another term. Democratic Representative Tim Ryan, who challenged Nancy Pelosi for House Minority Leader status earlier this year, announced this week that he would not seek the position, further widening the field to contenders.

Schiavoni has been prepping for a run for the office of governor for some time. He's spent much of the past 12 months canvassing the state and trying to get to know voters beyond the Youngstown area.

"Our next governor must be someone who can speak to voters in all parts of the state - urban, suburban, and rural," he said in the statement.

Schiavoni could face stiff competition within his party. As many as a dozen contenders for the governorship have expressed some interest in a run, according to cleveland.com. That list of names includes Representative Betty Sutton, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Richard Cordray, and former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams.

On the Republican side, things aren't much clearer. With Kasich out, the names being bandied about include Secretary of State Jon Husted, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Representative Jim Renacci, and Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor.

You can watch Schiavoni speak here:

Photo from YouTube Screen Capture