GOP congressman presents himself as political outsider

Nov. 28--COLUMBUS -- U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci on Tuesday presented himself as the outsider to state politics compared to what he characterized as his firmly entrenched opponents for the Republican nomination for governor next year.

"Some of these people that I'm running against have been running for governor since they were 10 years old ..." he said at the City Club of Cleveland. "They've decided that they were going to be governor a long, long time ago ...

"Each one of their votes was a protected vote ..." Mr. Renacci said. "Each vote they make is based on their next election, not the next generation."

Mr. Renacci has sought to carve out support from the more conservative Trump wing of his party as he seeks to set himself apart from Gov. John Kasich.

He is also seeking to stand out from the three other Republican candidates -- Secretary of State Jon Husted, a former speaker of the Ohio House and state senator; Attorney General Mike DeWine, a former lieutenant governor and U.S. senator; and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, former state representative and auditor.

"They're all good people -- 72 years in political background, 72 years in total ..." he said. "If you're happy with the state ... there's three other candidates on the Republican side you should talk to, because they've been part of the climate for the last 72 years."

The 58-year-old businessman and former Wadsworth mayor was the latest announced 2018 gubernatorial candidate to appear before the City Club. He has represented suburban Akron's 16th District since 2011.

He defeated then fellow U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton of Barberton in 2012, when redistricting pitted the two incumbents against each other in the same congressional district. Ms. Sutton is also running for governor on the Democratic side, setting up the potential for a rematch on a much larger stage in November, 2018.

Mr. Renacci took aim at Mr. Kasich, suggesting he made decisions as governor that looked forward to his plan to run for president last year. In particular, Mr. Renacci criticized the governor's decision to partner with the federal Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid to about 725,000 mostly working adults.

The congressman supported the U.S. House's failed effort to repeal Obamacare.

"Medicaid expansion is unsustainable," he said. "We have to change that. We cannot continue down a path that's unsustainable. The federal government is not going to allow us to continue down that path ... Nineteen states didn't expand Medicaid, yet we're the state with the No. 1 opiate overdose and addiction [numbers]."

Born in the steel and coal country of western Pennsylvania, Mr. Renacci moved to Ohio in the 1980s and has successfully owned or managed numerous businesses, including nursing homes and auto dealerships. He ran for Congress after losing his General Motors dealership as part of the federally coordinated bankruptcy and reorganization of the auto giant nearly a decade ago.

While echoing Democratic contentions that Ohio's Republican-passed income tax cuts in recent years were simply tax shifts to the local level, he found himself defending his vote on the House's recently passed version of tax reform. He challenged suggestions the bill disproportionately benefits the wealthy.

"In this tax plan, I can tell you, the average middle-income family will get between a $1,000 and $2,000 tax cut," Mr. Renacci said. "Well, the argument is: 'Shame on you, because the wealthy is going to get a tax cut, too.'

"Look, whenever you collapse brackets, reduce the rates, of course the wealthy are going to get [a break]," he said. "The goal will always be to get as much as we can to middle-income America ..."

Contact Jim Provance at jprovance@theblade.com or 614-221-0496.

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