Husted returns to University of Dayton to start run for governor,
Candidate kicks off his 2018 campaign at UD arena.
Jon Husted DAYTON — “learned how to win” at the University of Dayton, which made the school a natural spot to launch his 2018 campaign for Ohio governor on Monday.
Husted is an alumnus of UD where he obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and played football. He worked for the local chamber of commerce and in the Ohio House he represented part of Montgomery County, including Kettering and Dayton’s southern suburbs. He also served as speaker of the House.
“I want you to know that UD and Dayton and the people here have been incredibly important in my life,” Husted said. “I will never forget it.”
Husted, 49, was elected Ohio’s secretary of state in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014.
He and his wife, Tina, and their two children live in Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus. His son, Alex, graduated from UD on Sunday and was off on an annual “Dayton to Daytona” trip in Florida during his father’s campaign kickoff.
Husted joins Republicans U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor of Green, who have already declared their candidacies for governor. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine of Cedarville has said he is running but has not made an official announcement.
Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, cannot seek re-election to a third term due to term limits.
In his first speech as a gubernatorial candidate, Husted said his campaign would be about “winning a better future for Ohio.” He said there’s “really nothing like being part of a winning team” and that he sees the people of Ohio as his teammates.
Husted said his goal as governor would be to ensure Ohioans that the “American dream is alive here” by helping more people get ahead in life.
Ohio is approaching a time in which economic and cultural change will “be as fast as it’s ever been,” Husted said. By the time the next governor finishes a first term, Husted said there will likely be driver-less cars on the road and drones delivering packages.
He called on Ohioans to be innovative and said that he sees himself as the best person to lead the state through times of great change. As the world changes, Husted said Ohio needs to “change along with it” otherwise the state will lose in the long run.
“The states that innovate at the pace of this change will be the winners,” Husted said. “The others will fall behind.”
Forgotten Ohioans
While Husted promoted change, he also gave a nod to people who feel left behind by a changing world and economy.
Middle class Ohioans and factory workers feel neglected, Husted said, because they haven’t always benefited from society’s advancements and in some cases have seen their jobs disappear or their wages decrease. He spoke about how his father lost his job in northwest Ohio. The loss caused his father to leave Williams County, where Husted was raised, to move to another state to find work.
“When I am governor we will innovate and lead through this change but I will always remember not to leave the people of Ohio behind,” he said. “We’ve got to care about them.”
The opioid epidemic is partially to blame for lost jobs and wages, Husted said. When people lose hope, they sometimes turn to alcohol and drugs, he said.
“I want Ohio to be No. 1 in something other than drug overdoses,” Husted said. “I promise you if we were No. 1 in education and job creation, we would not be No. 1 in overdose deaths.”
Husted recalled where he was when he heard that a Centerville couple had overdosed and been found dead by their four children. He was in the car heading back home from Northeast Ohio when he read the news that Brian Hayle and Courtney Halye were found dead by their kids in their home on East Von Dette Circle on March 14.
Husted represented Centerville in the Statehouse before becoming Ohio’s elections chief.
“It makes you feel like you have a responsibility to do something about it,” Husted said. “There’s no doubt we have an opioid addiction problem in Ohio.”
Early endorsements
Husted received what seemed like two early endorsements during his campaign kickoff Monday morning.
One came from Phil Parker, president of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and the other came from his former UD football coach, Mike Kelly.
Husted worked with the chamber of commerce and Parker spoke about why he enjoyed working with him.
He said Husted held strong values of family, faith, teamwork and integrity. Husted is the type of leader who’s needed in government and business, Parker said.
“Jon was an integral part of our organization. I can tell you many, many different projects that Jon spearheaded when he was with us,” Parker said. “I was so proud of that insight, that vision.”
Parker and Kelly both complimented Husted on his “competitive energy,” though they saw it in different forms.
Kelly saw it in Husted when he told him he would not be guaranteed a position on the UD football team and that he’d have to try out when he came to campus. He told the crowd of 150 or so on Monday that Husted is the kind of person who rises to the occasion.
Husted doesn’t give up, Kelly said, because “he’s a competitor, he’s all about goals, he’s all about effort.” Under Kelly, Husted as a defensive back helped lead the 1989 Dayton Flyers football team to a Division III national championship.
“Jon’s hot button, I learned over his time with us, is you put a carrot out in front of him and then you tell him he can’t do it,” Kelly said. “That’s what this man’s all about.”
While area leaders praised Husted, the candidate criticized politicians of the opposing party.
In a video just before coming onstage, Husted knocked former president Barack Obama and 2016 presidential candidate Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“There’s no doubt my family would firmly fit in Hillary Clinton’s basket of deplorables and we’re proud of it,” he said.