DeWine made several visits to manufacturing sites across the state Friday as part of Manufacturing Day, which highlights American advanced manufacturing tech, but chose to extend his tour into Dayton over the weekend.
“Ohio is really, really on the move,” he said. “Ohio has emerged from this pandemic moving forward. We’re creating jobs every single day.”
Ohio currently has a 4% unemployment rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and is creating “more jobs...than we have workers to fill them,” DeWine said, adding that the relationship between educators and businesses is what’s going to dissuade Ohio’s young people from taking their education outside the state.
“Just to see the excitement is, I think, a very good thing. We don’t want wasting lives. We don’t want anyone graduating that does not have some idea of where they’re going. And our schools are really helping in this area, but our businesses are helping as well.”
DeWine is facing Democratic challenger and former Dayton mayor Nan Whaley in November’s gubernatorial race. DeWine has declined to participate in a gubernatorial debate with Whaley, saying Monday that “there’s not a huge demand from the public to watch these debates.”
Whaley has previously been critical of DeWine’s choices not to meet her for a traditional debate.
“It’s clear Governor DeWine doesn’t want to face voters, and he has plenty of reasons to hide from Ohioans, whether it’s his extreme abortion ban, his broken promise to keep our communities safe from gun violence, or his role in the state’s largest bribery and corruption scandal,” Whaley said via email Monday. “When you’re running for another term, you have a responsibility to answer to the public as to why you deserve four more years. Perhaps DeWine’s refusal to do so is just the arrogance of a man who’s been in office for more than four decades.”
DeWine said Monday that he and his opponent are having a debate “every single day.”
“We see things differently. We’re different on issues. We’re different on our accomplishments. I think people can see that,” DeWine said. “Her record is fundamentally different than my record. I think people have been able to see what I’ve been able to do and in the last four years under very difficult circumstances.”
DeWine added that the two candidates would have “joint appearances” in front of newspaper editorial boards across the state for Ohioans to consider their stances on different issues. DeWine and a spokeswoman for Whaley’s campaign both said dates for those have not been set.
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