Obama-era consumer agency head Richard Cordray has won the Democratic nomination for Ohio governor despite a surprisingly rigorous challenge from former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
Tuesday’s win by the former consumer watchdog under President Barack Obama buoys Democratic hopes of reclaiming control of a critical battleground state, where Republican Gov. John Kasich is term-limited.
Cordray led the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Obama and President Donald Trump. He featured Obama in his ads and campaigned with Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who created the bureau.
Kucinich is a feisty former nine-term congressman and Cleveland mayor who energized voters with an anti-gun, pro-environment platform. He attacked Cordray as an “establishment Democrat” willing to compromise his principles to special interests.
A state senator and a former Ohio Supreme Court justice also competed.