Gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley poses for a photo with meet-and-greet attendees Monday morning.
Jessica Orozco | The Lima News
LIMA — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley visited Vibe Coffeehouse & Cafe to meet and speak with community members Monday morning.
Whaley, who served as Dayton mayor from 2014 until this year, is running for Ohio governor against incumbent Mike DeWine, a Republican. Whaley said some of the most important issues she will address if elected governor on Nov. 8 are abortion, redistricting and jobs for working families.
“If you’re a woman in Ohio, this is the most important election ever,” Whaley told event attendees.
DeWine, who has served as the state’s governor since 2019, signed a six-week abortion ban into law after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Dobbs v. Jackson, holding that the Constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion. The ban is now on hold by a court order.
Whaley said if she is elected governor, she will put abortion on the ballot to guarantee the right in the Ohio constitution.
Whaley said after the Aug. 4, 2019, mass shooting in the Oregon District in Dayton, which killed nine people and injured 27, DeWine attended a vigil with her. Attendees shouted at the governor to “do something,” stopping him from finishing his remarks.
Whaley said the following day, DeWine called her and said he “intended to do something” and she “took him at his word” when he introduced the STRONG Ohio bill, which proposed more thorough background checks among other safety measures.
The bill failed and DeWine later signed permitless concealed carry into law.
“He did do something all right,” Whaley said. “He made the problem worse.”
Whaley took questions from the audience, and in response to questions of how she would address district gerrymandering, she said she would vote to confirm “fairly” drawn maps on the Redistricting Commission.
“What happens is we’re having a tyranny of the minority in the Statehouse,” Whaley said.
James Hurley, a field organizer for the Ohio Democratic Party, said the state has registered a large number of female voters, which the group encourages to get to the polls on Election Day.
Rochelle Twining, acting chairman of the Allen County Democratic Party, said it is an “exciting time” to be a Democrat. She said former elected officials attended the event, as well as local unions.
Whaley said she visits Lima regularly and it is one of her favorite places.
Whaley said events like meet and greets are important for voters to have the opportunity to ask candidates questions and share the responses with those unable to attend. She said speaking with her supporters energizes them to canvass, make phone calls and speak with their friends on voting.
“They can talk to their friends, like, ‘I talked to Nan this week, and this is what she said,’” Whaley said. “That can really make a big difference when they’re talking to their friends and neighbors.”
Whaley said voters have a choice next week regarding if they want changes to Ohio or for it to remain as it is.
“If they think that the state is doing just fine and that their family is doing better than they were, then, yeah, they should probably vote for Mike DeWine,” Whaley said. “But if they think we need to do better and that they want their kids to have opportunities, then they need to look at change and need to vote for Nan Whaley.”
