COLOMBUS, Ohio — Attorney General Dave Yost isn’t worried about his competition in the race to become Ohio’s governor. We sat in a one-on-one interview to learn why and how he leads the state.
“My job is to make my point to the people of Ohio, that’s what I’m trying to do,” Yost told me on Monday.
That’s not the typical kind of trial that Republicans in Central Ohio are tackling. It’s his bid to become Ohio’s next leader.
“I think it’s my duty to walk this path,” he added.
I sat down with Yost and asked about his campaign, why voters should choose him, his vision and Buckeye State goals.
“We’re going to move from an approach to problem-based public policy to a goal-based approach… we’re going to break that mold and talk about where Ohio should go,” he said.
“Where is that?” I asked.
“I think I want to increase the younger population on average…but economic dynamism and the growth of our workforce and family, all of which are a set of options where youth and government happen. He can help or interfere with that by saying that older individuals in the state also care,” he said.
He touts decades of experience as an AG, state auditor, Delaware County Auditor and county prosecutor.
“I’m the guy who actually did the job,” he said.
What does Ohio look like under Yost?
We have experienced major issues.
Unlike Gov. Mike DeWine, Yost is not very familiar with marijuana. He said he would follow the will of the voters.
“I went to Ohio State University – probably no one would be surprised – what I did and I sucked in,” he said. Inhale. “But I wasn’t for a referendum. Once again, it’s a law of land, so it needs to adjust the market as healthy and fair as possible, and have the market as healthy and fair as possible. There is.”
There was similar debate regarding abortion and access to reproductive medicine.
“The will of voters is the will of voters, and it is now enshrined into the highest laws of our state,” Yost continued. “I think they made a mistake in that choice, but my job vow requires me to respect it, so I would.”
“But you’re now fighting a six-week ban (repeal) in court,” I replied.
“We predicted this would happen at the start of No. 1 and its campaign to amend the constitution,” he replied. There are other than the Heartbeat bills around this. It’s not clear how or what they were affected, so it’s going through the courts. ”
Related: Ohio Agu Yost, who fights for “other provisions” under the 6-week abortion ban, is unconstitutional.
On the topic of reproductive rights, one of Yost’s biggest public controversies is denying the existence of a 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio who had to go out of state to get an abortion. Included. This was immediately confirmed by the Columbus Police Department, which arrested the suspect’s assailant.
Related: Man arrested for raping a 10-year-old Ohio girl who went to Indiana for an abortion
I asked if he regretted the statement he made.
“These comments were made very early in the investigation and as far as it went, it was true,” Yost said in defense of himself. “The events that followed were a horrifying tragedy that this had happened.”
I also asked him if he was worried about his enemy using the case as he crossed the aisle and caused anger.
“I was in politics to know that if my enemies didn’t use what I actually did to me, they would make up for things,” he said. “So it’s part of the political environment that I fear.”
He is in line with GOP leaders who want to prioritize cutting funds for public schools and sending state dollars to private schools.
“I don’t like the idea of funding schools,” he said. “I like the idea of funding students.”
He supports voters’ will regarding rezoning reform. When it comes to raising sports betting taxes to fund renovation projects for professional sports teams like the Browns, he would rather rule out regular taxpayers.
“If the state provides public funding to private companies like sports franchises, it makes sense that the public is not taxed for that.
He said he knows the nation, so he has realistic goals for Ohio – unlike his opponent, he added.
The main
He will face off against Heather Hill, former Morgan County school board president who agreed to interview me on Thursday, but the strategist is the Ohio businessman whose main opponent is. I think of it as Donald Trump Ally Vivek Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy officially announced her bid for the Ohio governor on Monday evening at a rally in Cincinnati.
Vivek Ramaswamy announces the bid for the Ohio Governor
Related: Vivek Ramaswamy announces bid for the Ohio Governor
For more information about Ramaswamy’s views, please click or tap here.
“Now as long as we have primary this year, I’ll accept it. I’m welcoming it because competition creates innovation,” the 39-year-old said during the rally. “I’m going to be conservative without fighting in this race, but I’ll fight to win if necessary.”
However, the nails were exposed at the yost.
“The difference is that I went there and did it,” Yost said. “I have a track record. He has some books and some speeches.”
After the interview and the announcement of Ramaswamy, Yost issued the following statement:
“Mr. Ramaswamy will be welcomed to the race for a long time despite his persistence,” Yost said. “We’ll see if he’ll actually stay. Lamaswamy quit Trump and Doge on the first day, then left Ohio to move to Texas, and after a devastating fourth place finish in Iowa, he was called the presidential election. I’ve stopped.”
It is also possible that DeWine has put current OSU football coach Jim Tresselchu Li as his successor.
Related: Tresserpant questions about future governor run, instead talking about OSU scandals, abortions, marijuana
As the Ohioans know him – and love him, he asked Yost if he was worried about Tressel. He said they have been friends for years and that competition will make candidates better.
He had no concern about Democratic candidate Amy Acton.
However, when it comes to Ramaswamy, Yost faces a unique challenge. Businessmen are millionaires and can fund campaigns themselves.
“How do you compete?” asked Yost.
“Well, it’s not the problem of having the most money, it’s not the problem of having enough money,” he replied, with Senator Matt Dolan being a 2024 US Senate race competitor. He had a lot more money than that, but came in second.
Trump’s support is still essential at this point in Ohio’s politics. Yost said he has communicated with the team but so far he is the only candidate in the race to gain support from the president.
Already, Ramaswamy has received two official statewide approvals. of State Franc La Rose and Treasurer Robert Sprague.
“What do you say about your relationship with them?” I asked Yost.
“Well, you have to ask them,” he said. “I represent them in court and especially for the constantly sued Frank LaRose, but at the end of the day I’ll probably talk more about their part on the Columbus machine than I do. It’s there.”
He considers himself an outsider, and sometimes does not get along well with the militant former government John Kasicz, and has a much more gentle dewine difference.
“I’m an outsider in Columbus and insiders don’t like it very much,” he said. “But I care about what people think, and I think it gave them more votes than the Attorney General they’ve ever received in the 2022 election.”
Yet Yost is not deterred.
“When I talk about government efficiency, that was a promise,” he said. “I found a $260 million efficiency savings. I was Doge before Doge was cool, but there was no need to file a lawsuit.”
He also raised the goal of eradicating public corruption, resulting in 170 criminal convictions. Honesty is important to him, he said.
“What are you looking for from the lieutenant governor?” I asked him.
“Well, I’ve heard your name come to mind, but I don’t think we’re all politically aligned,” he joked.
“The people who care about the people in Ohio and Ohio and those who can take over if something happens to me… I’m talking about people who can’t make a call. Everyone has the same rules A system that requires government to make sure you play in – that’s everything the rule of law means: the same rules for everyone.”
Do you have any final thoughts?
“If you’re in Ohio and see Ron DeSantis of Florida or Greg Abbott of Texas, and you’re hoping Ohio has that bold leadership, then Dave Yost is your candidate I hope to be someone else,” he smiled.
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