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Both Ohio gubernatorial primaries called - establishment candidates will run to replace Kasich
No matter who wins in Ohio's gubernatorial election this fall, John Kasich will be replaced by an establishment candidate. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Both Ohio gubernatorial primaries called - establishment candidates will run to replace Kasich

Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine is the projected winner in Ohio's GOP gubernatorial primary, and will face a rematch in the fall with Democrat primary winner and former Attorney General Richard Cordray — who DeWine unseated in 2010.

DeWine is expected to handily beat Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor once all votes are in; he held a 20-point lead Tuesday evening with 36 percent of precincts reporting.  Taylor was endorsed by outgoing Gov. John Kasich, who was unable to run again due to term limits.

Kasich has hinted that he's considering a run against President Donald Trump in 2020.

Cordray defeated longtime Ohio politician and former Congressman Dennis Kucinich on Tuesday. Endorsed by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Cordray is the former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Warren helped launch as her signature political accomplishment.

When DeWine and Cordray ran against each other for the Ohio AG seat in 2010, it was a close race: they were only separated by 1.2 percent.

According to Democrats, Cordray will have an edge in this fall's election. Ohio Democratic Party chairman David Pepper said, "The top candidates on our side are capable of running good races. The negative primary on the Republican side has really cost them."

During the GOP race, Taylor had sought to align DeWine with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and pointed to his previous "F" rating from the National Rifle Association. Both Taylor and DeWine spoke out against Kasich's Medicaid expansion under Obamacare in the state.

In the Democratic primary, Cordray and Kucinich were at one point tied according to polls, but Kucinich took heat for accepting a $20,000 contribution from a group linked to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Kucinich sought to align himself with Bernie Sanders as carrying the progressive torch during the race.

Voter Robert Halpin said, "Kucinich bothered me because of the whole Assad thing. I didn't like Cordray because of the NRA. But in the end, weighing it, I don't like Assad more, so I went with Cordray."

In the past, Cordray was endorsed by the NRA for his support of the Second Amendment. Considering Ohio has been leaning right in past elections, Cordray could use those former credentials to his advantage to pull some conservatives away from DeWine in the voting booth this fall.

 

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