Ohio Attorney General Candidates

Candidate: Mike DeWine

Political party: Republican

Background:

Mike DeWine started his career as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Greene County and has spent the past four years serving as Ohio’s attorney general. He has also served in the Ohio State Senate, United States House of Representatives, United States Senate and as Ohio Lieutenant Governor.

“I spent years working hand-in-hand with law enforcement putting violent criminals, drug dealers and rapists behind bars,” DeWine said in a statement. “That experience taught me to talk to people and recognize problems; more importantly, it taught me how to solve problems. That experience was the perfect preparation to be Ohio attorney general.”

Why should I care:

DeWine’s top priority is protecting Ohio’s families. He created a Crimes Against Children Unit to help identify, arrest and convict sexual predators. He has increased training opportunities for law enforcement and educators to help improve school safety, human trafficking, child abuse, missing children, bullying and the needs of foster youth.

In addition to supporting anti-gun violence programs and community groups that work to repair Ohio communities, DeWine is working to rebuild Ohio’s neighborhoods and has invested $75 million from the national mortgage settlement to help demolish abandoned properties through the Moving Ohio Forward grant program.

During his time in office, DeWine has decreased the turn-around times for DNA analysis at the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and had thousands of rape kits tested. He has been working on Ohio’s heroin and prescription drug abuse problem and created a heroin unit within the office to combat the deadly effects. He launched an elder abuse initiative to pursue criminals who target the elderly.

DeWine has helped Ohioans who have had difficulties within the national credit reporting agencies and created a new identity theft unit in his office. He created an economic crimes unit to pursue scammers and con artists. He works with partners across state government to help educators prepare for all types of school emergencies, and his Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy offered the first ever Active Shooter Response Training for educators across Ohio.

Message for Kent State students:

“Over the last four years, there have been many issues I’ve tackled—untested rape kits, violence against women and children, the foster care system and the prescription pills and heroin epidemic. With each issue, my experience has enabled me be an effective leader, working with others to come up with a solution and execute it. Over the next four years, I will continue to build on the outstanding progress we’ve had with those issues as well as be on the lookout for new issues that affect all Ohioans. I’d be honored to have your support.”

 

Candidate: David Pepper

Political party: Democrat

Background:

David Pepper first ran for office when he served on the Cincinnati City Council. He was reelected for a second term. When he saw Hamilton County struggling, he became County Commissioner, serving as Commission President.

He ran for state auditor in 2010, clerked for Nathaniel Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and worked for Cincinnati law firms Squire Sanders and Blank Rome. He teaches election and voting rights laws as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Why should I care:

Pepper’s record reflects fighting for safe streets and job growth while cleaning up government and increasing transparency. He helped push to improve police-community relations, and he served as the Chairman of Law and Public Safety Committee. He played a role in negotiating a collaborative agreement between the police, community and City Hall, while adding police to the street and enacting tough measures on crime due to increased violence.

Pepper and his colleagues enacted reforms and investments in economic and community development. While serving Hamilton County, he focused on cleaning up the government, adding transparency, eliminating wasteful spending and rebuilding the County’s reserve fund. Pepper also focused on public safety, took charge of initiatives to create jobs during the recession, protected homeowners and communities from the foreclosure crisis and reinvested in struggling communities.

His main focuses are protecting children, battling the heroin crisis and cleaning up the government.

Pepper has created a five-step plan, called The Pepper Plan: A comprehensive approach to take on heroin addiction that includes treating the heroin epidemic as a public health crisis, drying up demand, saving lives and cracking down on supply and dealing. He plans to add transparency to the attorney general’s office and government across the state.

Message for Kent State students:

Pepper could not be reached for comment at the time.