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As Republicans in north central Ohio look to the upcoming gubernatorial primary, which will see Vivek Ramaswamy up against Casey Putsch and Heather Hill, I think it’s appropriate to look back to the last primary, which saw Governor Mike DeWine challenged by Joe Blystone, Jim Renacci and Ron Hood.
DeWine, who epitomizes Republican-In-Name-Only (RINO) policies, unfortunately, was victorious in that primary held on the 3rd of May 2022. He won with 48.1% of the vote, to Renacci’s 28.0%, Blystone’s 21.8%, and Hood’s 2.1%.
However, it’s unclear what the outcome would have been if Blystone and Renacci hadn’t split the conservative/populist vote, since DeWine didn’t secure a majority.
Across the Buckeye state, DeWine carried the cities, Renacci performed well in the suburbs, and Blystone dominated in the rural areas. Hood, meanwhile, was not much of a performer anywhere.
In our area, specifically, the breakdown was as follows:
Marion County (6,893 votes cast): DeWine 43.10%, Blystone 33.32%, Renacci 21.66% and Hood 1.91%.
Wyandot County (3,008 votes cast): Blystone 42.89%, 34.84%, Renacci 20.55%, and Hood 1.73%.
Delaware County (27,445 votes cast): DeWine 52.67%, Renacci 29.14%, Blystone 16.98%, and Hood 1.22%.
Union County (8,232 votes cast): DeWine 41.51%, Blystone 35.50%, Renacci 21.64%, and Hood 1.36%.
Hardin County (3,902 votes cast): DeWine 42.24%, Blystone 38.75%, Renacci 15.29%, and Hood 2.35%.
Crawford County (5,769 votes cast): Blystone 36.61%, DeWine 36.51%, Renacci 24.58%, and Hood 2.31%.
Morrow County (6,506 votes cast): Blystone 44.58%, DeWine 32.71%, Renacci 20.61%, and Hood 2.09%.
Again, had Jim Renacci not been in the race, it’s possible that Joe Blystone, the conservative populist farmer, may have been able to win the election. Or vice versa.
When it comes to the upcoming Republican primary, the odds on favorite is the GOP Establishment (including DeWine himself) endorsed candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy.
However, based on the results from the 2022 primary and what we’re seeing with the social media commentary from populist conservatives, it’s possible that grassroots conservative Casey Putsch may give Ramaswamy a run for his money.
Joe Blystone has already endorsed Casey Putsch, so we’ll see how much of Blystone’s following transfers over to Putsch.
Heather Hill is a wildcard. She’ll undoubtedly perform better than Ron Hood, but it’s unknown to what extent.
Joe Blystone