Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor is touting her fundraising ability as she inches into the crowded field of politicians who seek to replace the term-limited Gov. John Kasich in 2019.
On Thursday, Taylor filed the necessary paperwork to begin campaigning and collecting donations for what could be a contested Republican primary in 2018.
Mary Taylor for Governor will be the name of her gubernatorial campaign committee.
For her treasurer, the Republican from Green has named Rick Fedorovich, the CEO of Fairlawn accounting firm Bober Markey Fedorovich and a past chair or board member of the Akron Community Foundation, Greater Akron Chamber, AAA Akron Auto Club, Akron Tomorrow, Akron General Health System, and Archbishop Hoban High School.
Originally from Springfield Township, Taylor served on City Council in Green before winning a seat in the Ohio House in 2002. A certified public accountant, she was elected Auditor of State in 2006. In her private career, she was a manager at Bober, Markey, Fedorovich & Co. in the mid-1990s when the firm was located in Akron.
With a treasurer, campaign coffer and official website (www.marytaylorforgovernor.com), Taylor can solicit support from more than Kasich, who has said that if his No. 2 runs, she’ll have his support. Kasich, elected in 2010, will finish his second and final term as governor in 2019.
Should she decide to place her name on the ballot, Taylor could face stiff competition from a deep roster of established Republicans, including Secretary of State Jon Husted and Attorney General Mike DeWine, whose candidacy was made public after the press overheard him talking about it.
The men submitted campaign finance reports in late January showing each with about $2.5 million raised. Taylor, who previously raised jointly with Kasich, stepped down as honorary chair of Onward Ohio, a political action committee she formed to support conservative initiatives. That PAC raised a little more than $1 million in the last two-year election cycle.
Rounding out a potential field of Republican candidates for governor is U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth, who has not announced or ruled out a run for a governorship.
Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792.