Nan Whaley is seeking election to Ohio Governor. Cheryl Stephens is seeking election to Lt. Governor.
Why are you running for office, and what previous experience makes you the most qualified candidate for the position?
When you’re a mayor, you don’t have the luxury of saying, “that’s not my problem.” For the last 7 years I’ve had the honor of serving as the mayor of Dayton. When I came into office, it’s safe to say our city was at a low point. But in Ohio we don’t look away from tough problems - we take action.
When our community was leading the nation in accidental overdose deaths due to opioids, we brought together the community to create an innovative approach that now serves as a model for other cities. In recent years, we’ve cut opioid deaths in half.
When it was clear our kids were entering kindergarten unprepared and families were paying too much for childcare, we passed universal, high-quality preschool for every 4-year-old. It’s been so successful that we recently expanded it to every 3-year-old, too.
We’ve seen nearly a billion dollars in new investments and thousands of new jobs. We did it all by bringing folks together and focusing on solutions - even people we don’t always agree with.
I believe what Ohio needs is this same can-do spirit to turn around our state and give every family the opportunity to thrive.
I’m running for governor because I believe Ohio deserves better. For essentially 30 years, we’ve had one party rule in our state and, during that time, we’ve watched as Ohio has fallen further and further behind. Our only path forward is a total overhaul - and that’s what I am proposing.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in this position?
My message is pretty simple: I want your pay to go up, your bills to go down, and your government to work for you. That includes raising wages for all Ohioans by investing in the clean energy jobs of the future; creating a universal, high quality preschool program like we did in Dayton; and repealing HB 6 so that we can restore public trust.
This is how we make Ohio a place where one good job is enough, where every community is safe and healthy, and where your kids and grandkids have real opportunities.
What are three policy initiatives you plan to focus on? My biggest priorities include:
Clean up corruption and restore public trust. My full plan to address the HB 6 scandal and make our state government ethical once again is at nanwhaley.com/ethics
Raise wages for all Ohioans. I have laid out my plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, invest in small businesses, only give incentives to companies that support workers, and prioritize clean energy jobs. This is how we make Ohio a place where every family can thrive. My full plan is at nanwhaley.com/jobs
Make Ohio more affordable by lowering folks' bills. In Dayton, we passed universal preschool for every 3 and 4 year old - if we can do it here, we can do it across Ohio. I will also invest in making community colleges and trade schools more affordable so our kids can get the skills they need to get ahead.
Young people are leaving Ohio following graduation at an alarming rate. Several factors contribute to this, including lower wages, a lack of good paying jobs, and college affordability. What can be done to support young Ohioans to keep them, and their talent, in our state?
30 years of GOP control has left us in a deep hole when it comes to retaining and supporting young people. One of my top priorities will be supporting policies to make Ohio a state where young people can stay and build a future in any community they choose. This includes more support for higher education, raising wages for all Ohioans, more aid for young entrepreneurs, investments in communities to make them more livable and sustainable, and fighting harmful attacks on reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ Ohioans. That's how we build a state we can all be proud of.
Will you support nondiscrimination policies that protect individuals regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, veterans status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression? If so, how?
Yes. No matter who you are, what you look like, or who you love, you should be welcome and supported in Ohio. As mayor of Dayton, our city led on this issue. I was proud to officiate the first legal sam sex marriage in Ohio and to ban harmful conversion therapy. We strengthened our Welcome Dayton program to better support our immigrant communities. As governor, I'll do the same.
What can the state of Ohio be doing to ensure racial equity and eliminating bias in community policing?
Everyone in Ohio deserves to feel safe and be treated with respect. As mayor, I led an innovative police reform process that brought together the community and police to make serious policy changes including body cameras, an alternative responder model, and new training and recruitment practices. We must pursue similar practices statewide: engaging with and listening to the community to change policies with their input. I'll soon be rolling out a more comprehensive justice policy platform that will include better support for local initiatives seeking to address these issues and better statewide databases and best practice sharing.
Do you support reasonable regulations on firearms in the United States? Please explain in detail.
In August of 2019, a senseless mass shooting took 9 lives in Dayton in just 32 seconds. So this is personal for me. I've been a fierce advocate for commonsense gun reforms like background checks and red flag laws at both the state and federal level. As governor, I'll do the same.
Affordability of health care is one of the most pressing issues facing Ohioans. The quality of care received by patients also remains inequitable, with significant differences in services provided and treatment outcomes by race, income, and geography. What will you do to improve health care access and outcomes for Ohioans?
Access to and quality of healthcare is one of the most vital issues facing Ohioans. As governor, I'll fight to protect and strengthen Medicaid and find ways to better support hospital and doctors in underserved areas of the state.
Reproductive Health & Education
Please respond "YES" or "NO" to the following questions/statements regarding reproductive health and education:
Do you believe that all individuals should have the right to access safe, legal, confidential and affordable abortion and reproductive health care services?
Yes
Do you oppose attempts to undermine Roe v. Wade through legislation that creates separate legal rights for fetuses distinct from those of a pregnant individual?
Yes
Do you support policies to expand access to contraception, such as requiring insurance companies to cover all federally approved contraceptive methods?
Yes
Do you support comprehensive (age appropriate), medically accurate sex education in schools that is inclusive of resources surrounding contraception, sexually transmitted diseases (STIs), HIV/AIDS, consent and LGBTQ+ identities?
Yes
Ohio's 237,000 chronically ill medical cannabis patients are faced with countless burdens and roadblocks, many of which stem from mismanagement by the three entities governing Ohio's existing program. How would you support improving this process?
This shouldn't be a controversial issue anymore. I led the effort to decriminalize cannabis in Dayton and as governor will fully support its legalization and expunging prior convictions.
Climate & Clean Energy
Please respond "YES" or "NO" to the following questions/statements regarding climate and clean energy:
Do you recognize the existence of climate change?
Yes
Do you believe the government has a responsibility to respond to climate change?
Yes
Do you support our state government incentivizing the adoption of clean/renewable energy sources over the use of fossil fuels?
Yes
Do you commit to using a union bug on all print materials?
Yes