COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has kicked off his tour celebrating the state's business successes, as his possible replacements are debating how they would boost economic growth moving forward.
In Cleveland Monday morning, the governor was joined by Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, state Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik and Team NEO CEO and former state Sen. Matt Dolan to celebrate Ohio being named CNBC's Top State for doing business in.
"We have more jobs filled in the state of Ohio today than we've ever had in our entire history," DeWine said at the event.
Along with having a low unemployment rate, the governor added, the state has a "historic high" for workers employed between the ages of 24 and 55.
"While we are proud of these accomplishments, we will continue to work together to make sure every Ohioan can fulfill their God-given potential," he said.
But the governor's supporters say an Ohioan may not know how well the state is doing if you just hear from the candidates hoping to succeed him.
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy
In Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s playbook, he wants to change many of DeWine’s policies to get even more business to build in Ohio.
"We are going to deliver an economic revival of a scale this state has never seen," Ramaswamy said at an event in which the state's major business organization, the Chamber of Commerce, endorsed him.
His plan begins with a phase-out of the state income tax.
"To be able to get to that zero income tax rate, that will allow businesses to make the decisions they need to make today to begin to invest in Ohio rather than those other states," Ramaswamy said. "That's what brings high-paying jobs to the state."
DeWine continues to urge Ramaswamy not to touch income tax, which he reemphasized Monday in unprompted comments.
RELATED: DeWine to next Ohio governor: Leave income taxes alone
"We try to remain focused on the fundamentals," DeWine said Monday. "We've cut income tax for four straight budgets."
His economic successes are not due to increasingly cutting this tax, he said. Companies care about whether Ohio has the workforce, infrastructure, and water available, the governor continued.
"No one ever comes to us when we're sitting down and talking to a CEO and says, 'You know, we can't come to your state because your income tax is too high,'" the governor continued. "We've taken care of that problem. That may have been a problem 15 or 20 years ago. It's not a problem today."
Over the weekend, Ramaswamy was asked about our previous reporting on DeWine's comments.
"I've had some great discussions with Governor DeWine... Laying out exactly how we think about the key items I got to focus on in the transition," Ramaswamy told CSPAN. "The number one thing we're aligned on is we need to bring more high-paying jobs to Ohio in a way that raises wages for the people who live here."
Ramaswamy wants to cut government bloat, he said, but create a new administrative department to hear directly from business leaders.
"A Department of Customer Service in our government that reports directly to me," he said during an event in July.
He wants to create a new cabinet-level position.
"I want to hear it from the workers and business leaders across our state of how we, as a government, can do better to move faster, [how to make] permitting timelines [move] more quickly," the Republican said.
Democrat Dr. Amy Acton
Ohio needs to see people who have previously been disenfranchised, Democratic candidate Dr. Amy Acton said.
Ohio struggles with affordability and the economy, she has said. US News and World Report ranks Ohio as the 42nd state overall for quality of life.
"It is time to put working families, Ohio's families, first," Acton said in a speech this spring.
True economic growth is with a compromise: encouraging businesses to build here, but also holding them accountable with expenses, she said.
"We are absolutely open, but we're not for said," the Democrat said about data centers this summer, one of the reasons why Ohio has been listed as so beneficial for businesses. "We have conditions."
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She also has initiatives to expand workforce development and invest in better infrastructure, like roads and broadband access.
"I will fight for good jobs and workforce training, and I am going to be a champion for small businesses in Ohio," she said.
Her main focus is on how to make life more affordable for the everyday Ohioans, not the big businesses.
"Ohioans need somebody fighting for them, not the self-funding billionaires and special interests," she said.
Libertarian Don Kissick
Libertarian Don Kissick and running mate James Mills are glad that Ohio is being recognized, but said the business growth needs to be more equitable.
"Our measure of success shouldn’t simply be how many large corporations we can attract," Mills said Monday. "It should be how easy it is for Ohioans to start, grow, and sustain businesses of their own."
Their priority is building a collaborative small-business ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs with local capital, chambers, incubators, universities and one another, Mills continued.
"Rather than massive tax incentives and subsidies for a handful of large corporations, we’d rather direct more economic-development resources toward locally owned businesses and entrepreneurs," he said.
The team also wants to simplify licensing and regulation for small businesses.
"That’s how we create stronger communities, more opportunity and ultimately less poverty: build wealth from the ground up and keep more of it circulating in Ohio communities," Mills said.
RELATED: Tax expert critical of Ohio governor candidates' property tax relief proposals
Follow Statehouse and Columbus bureau reporter Morgan Trau on X, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at Morgan.Trau@wews.com.
