Mike DeWine

Mike DeWine
50th Attorney General of Ohio
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2011
Governor John Kasich
Preceded by Richard Cordray
United States Senator
from Ohio
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by Howard Metzenbaum
Succeeded by Sherrod Brown
59th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
In office
January 14, 1991 – November 1994
Governor George Voinovich
Preceded by Paul Leonard
Succeeded by Nancy Hollister
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio's 7th district
In office
January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1991
Preceded by Bud Brown
Succeeded by Dave Hobson
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 10th district
In office
January 2, 1981 – December 13, 1982
Preceded by John Mahoney
Succeeded by Dave Hobson
Personal details
Born Richard Michael DeWine
January 5, 1947
Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Frances Struewing
Alma mater Miami University
Ohio Northern University
Religion Roman Catholicism

Richard Michael "Mike" DeWine (born January 5, 1947) is an American lawyer and Republican Party politician from Cedarville, Ohio. DeWine is serving his second term as Ohio Attorney General, a seat he won election to in 2010 by defeating incumbent Richard Cordray. DeWine was sworn in on January 10, 2011.

DeWine is a former United States Senator, elected to replace the retiring Howard Metzenbaum in 1994 and winning two terms. He served alongside John Glenn as the junior Senator from Ohio from 1995 until 1999 and then became the senior Senator when former Ohio governor George Voinovich was sworn in. DeWine had served as Voinovich's lieutenant governor from the time Voinovich was first elected in 1991 until 1994.

Prior to his being nominated as Voinovich's running mate in the 1990 election, DeWine served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 7th Congressional District for four consecutive terms beginning in 1983. He also served as an Ohio state senator.

Personal life

Born in Springfield, Ohio, to Jean and Richard L. DeWine,[1] DeWine lives in Cedarville, Ohio but grew up in neighboring Yellow Springs, Ohio. DeWine earned his Bachelor of Science degree in education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1969 and a Juris Doctor from Ohio Northern University College of Law in 1972.

He and his wife Frances have had eight children, one of whom died in an automobile accident in 1993.[2] Current Hamilton County, Ohio Common Pleas Court Judge R. Patrick DeWine is Mike DeWine's son. Former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine (R-Fairborn) is DeWine's second cousin.

Political career

At age 25, DeWine started working as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Greene County, Ohio, and in 1976 was elected County Prosecutor. In 1980 he was elected to the Ohio State Senate and served one term.

Two years later, U.S. Representative Bud Brown of Ohio's 7th congressional district retired after 26 years in Congress; his father, Clarence Brown, Sr., had held the seat for 26 years before that. DeWine won the Republican nomination, assuring him of election in November. He was reelected three more times from this district, which stretches from his home in Springfield to the Columbus suburbs. He ran unopposed in 1986 during what is regarded as a bad year for Republicans nationally.

DeWine gave up his seat in 1990 to run for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio as the running mate of George Voinovich. The Voinovich-DeWine ticket was easily elected.

In 1992, DeWine unsuccessfully ran against the former astronaut and incumbent Senator John Glenn. His campaign used the phrase, "What on earth has John Glenn done?".[3]

In 1994, DeWine ran for the United States Senate, defeating prominent attorney Joel Hyatt (the son-in-law of the then-incumbent U.S. Sen. Howard Metzenbaum) by a solid 14-point margin. DeWine was reelected in 2000, defeating gunshow promoter Ronald Dickson (161,185 votes, or 12.44%) and former U.S. Rep. Frank Cremeans (104,219 votes, or 8.05%)in the primary[4] and Ted Celeste (brother of former Ohio Gov. Dick Celeste) in the general election.

DeWine was defeated in the 2006 midterm elections by Democrat Sherrod Brown, receiving 905,644 fewer votes in 2006 than he received in 2000.[5][6]

On July 22, 2009, DeWine announced his intention to run for Attorney General of the State of Ohio. On November 2, 2010, DeWine was elected as the new Attorney General, defeating Democratic incumbent Richard Cordray. As attorney general of Ohio, DeWine sent letters to drugstore chains, encouraging them to discontinue the sale of tobacco products.[7] On November 4, 2014, DeWine was re-elected as Attorney General by defeating challenger, David Pepper. DeWine carried 84 out of Ohio's 88 counties.

Legislation

DeWine was the initial sponsor of the Drug-Free Century Act in 1999.[8]

Political positions

Highway Safety

As U.S. Senator, DeWine was behind the move to make 0.08% the national maximum blood-alcohol limit, and to require reporting of vehicle-related deaths on private property like parking lots and driveways.[9] He sponsored legislation on determining when aging tires become unsafe.[10]

Social issues

DeWine is opposed to legal abortion. In the Senate, he was the lead sponsor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.[11]

DeWine opposes same-sex marriage and sponsored the Federal Marriage Amendment but opposed State Issue 1, Ohio's constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman.

In 2004 DeWine co-sponsored an amendment to renew the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.[12] He was one of only two Republican senators to vote against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act ,[13] which banned lawsuits against gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers for criminal misuse of their products. In the 2006 election cycle, DeWine was the first senatorial candidate to be endorsed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and displayed that endorsement on his campaign webpage.[14] Furthermore, DeWine authored Senate Bill 954, to extend lifetime bans on gun ownership on citizens who happened to get a conviction in a foreign country, which carried a jail term of more than a year. That bill only garnered the endorsement of one other Senator, Dianne Feinstein of California.[15]

After President George W. Bush nominated White House Counsel Harriet Miers on October 3, 2005, for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, DeWine said "I think the fact she doesn't have judicial experience will add to the diversity of the Supreme Court.... There is no reason everyone has to have that same [judicial] background."[16] Opposition from conservative groups unhappy with Miers' resume ultimately sank her nomination.

DeWine sponsored the "Stars on Cars" legislation, which appeared in the 2005 highway bill. The rule requires that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration star safety rating information be displayed on part of the window sticker on new cars beginning with the 2008 model year.

Senate committees

DeWine sat on both the Senate Judiciary and Select Intelligence committees.

Post-Senate career

DeWine accepted positions teaching government courses at Cedarville University, Ohio Northern University and Miami University. In 2007, he joined the law firm Keating Muething & Klekamp as corporate investigations group co-chair.[17] He also advised the Ohio campaign of John McCain's 2008 presidential bid.[18]

On November 2, 2010, DeWine was elected Attorney General of the state of Ohio, defeating incumbent Richard Cordray (D) 48%-46%.[19]

In the 2012 Republican presidential primary, DeWine endorsed Tim Pawlenty, then endorsed Mitt Romney after Pawlenty dropped out of the race. On February 17, 2012, DeWine announced he was retracting his endorsement of Mitt Romney and endorsed Rick Santorum. DeWine said, "To be elected president, you have to do more than tear down your opponents. You have to give the American people a reason to vote for you, a reason to hope, a reason to believe that under your leadership, America will be better. Rick Santorum has done that. Sadly, Governor Romney has not."[20]

Electoral history

Election results[21][22]
Year Office Election Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
1982 U.S. Representative General Mike DeWine Republican 87,842 56.26% Roger D. Tackett Democratic 65,543 41.97% John B. Winer Libertarian 2,761 1.77%
1984 U.S. Representative General Mike DeWine Republican 147,885 76.68% Donald E. Scott Democratic 40,621 21.06% N/A Independent 4,352 2.26%
1986 U.S. Representative General Mike DeWine Republican 119,238 100%
1988 U.S. Representative General Mike DeWine Republican 142,597 73.88% Jack Schira Democratic 50,423 26.12%
1990 Lieutenant Governor of Ohio General Mike DeWine Republican 1,938,103 55.73% Eugene Branstool Democratic 1,539,416 44.27%
1994 U.S. Senator General Mike DeWine Republican 1,836,556 53.44% Joel Hyatt Democratic 1,348,213 39.23% Joseph J. Slovenec Independent 252,031 7.33%
2000 U.S. Senator General Mike DeWine Republican 2,666,736 60.0% Ted Celeste Democratic 1,597,122 35.9% John McAlister Libertarian 117,466 2.4% John Eastman Natural Law 70,738 1.6% *
2006 U.S. Senator General Mike DeWine Republican 1,761,092 43.82% Sherrod Brown Democratic 2,257,485 56.16% Richard Duncan Write-in 830 0.02%
2010 Attorney General of Ohio General Mike DeWine Republican 1,821,414 47.54% Richard Cordray Democratic 1,772,728 46.26% Robert Owens Constitution 130,065 3.39% Marc Feldman Libertarian 107,521 2.81%

*Write-in candidates Michael Fitzsimmons received 45 votes (< 1%) and Patrick Flower received 29 votes (< 1%)

References

  1. ↑ 1
  2. ↑ "Patrol say DeWine's daughter driving too fast" (PDF). The BG News September 7, 1993 - ScholarWorks@BGSU (Vol 76, Issue 10). 1993-09-07. Retrieved 2014-10-02. Lt. Gov. Michael DeWine's daughter was driving too fast for the wet road conditions when she was killed in a collision, the State Highway Patrol said Monday. Trooper D.T. Heard at the Xenia post said the patrol determined that Rebecca A. DeWine was driving 55 mph on Aug. 4 when her car went across the center line on a curve. The car hit a pickup truck going 39 mph on U.S. 42 north of Xenia, Heard said Monday. The speed recommended on the curve is 25 mph, he said.
  3. ↑ Clifford Krauss Krauss, Clifford (1992-10-15). "In Big Re-election Fight, Glenn Tests Hero Image". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  4. ↑ http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2000/2000senate.htm
  5. ↑ http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/electResultsMain/2000ElectionsResults/USSen11072000.aspx
  6. ↑ http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/electResultsMain/2006ElectionsResults/06-1107USSenate.aspx
  7. ↑ Harris, Elizabeth (16 March 2014). "States Urge Retail Giants With Pharmacies to Stop Selling Tobacco Products". New York Times. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  8. ↑ Govtrack.us
  9. ↑ "Ohio senator makes his mark on highway safety". 2005-08-09. Retrieved 2014-10-02. ...drunken driving [is] a central focus of DeWine's highway-safety attention. He was behind the move to make 0.08% the national maximum blood-alcohol limit, which it became this month when Minnesota was the final state to adopt it... DeWine says his years in politics helped persuade him to do something about the injuries and deaths that don't occur on public property, which is what regulators previously focused on. He wanted data about incidents in parking lots and driveways to be routinely collected, too.
  10. ↑ "Sen. DeWine introduces tire aging bill". 2004-01-23. Retrieved 2014-10-02. WASHINGTON (Jan. 23, 2004) — Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, has introduced a package of five highway safety bills, including one requiring tire retailers to disclose the month and year in which the tires they sell are produced. Mr. DeWine's bill also would require the National Academy of Sciences to do a definitive study of how both used and unused tires age—with an eye toward discovering the point at which an aged tire becomes unsafe.
  11. ↑ See S. 1019 (Unborn Victims of Violence Act), introduced May 7, 2003; S. 146 (Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2003), introduced January 13, 2003; S.480 (Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2001), introduced January 7, 2001. See also Karen MacPherson, "Senate votes to outlaw harming the unborn; abortion activists fear women's rights eroded" (March 26, 2004), Toldeo Blade; Carl Hulse, "Senate Outlaws Injury to Fetus During a Crime" (March 26, 2004), New York Times; Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Washington Talk: From CNN to Congress, Legislation by Anecdote" (May 8, 2003), New York Times.
  12. ↑ "Senate considers protecting gunmakers". Associated Press. 2004-02-25. Archived from the original on March 26, 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
  13. ↑ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress — 1st Session — Vote Summary on Passage of S. 397, As Amended". U.S. Senate. 2005-07-29. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
  14. ↑ "Brady Campaign Endorses DeWine". Retrieved 2006-06-23.
  15. ↑ "S.954 - Firearms Fairness and Security Act". Retrieved 2010-02-14.
  16. ↑ The Enquirer - This article is no longer available
  17. ↑ Eaton, Sabrina (2007-05-05). "Mike DeWine joins Cincinnati law firm". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  18. ↑ Riskind, Jonathan (2007-01-10). "DeWine to start teaching two courses on politics". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  19. ↑ http://www.cleveland.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/11/ohio_attorney_general_race_res.html
  20. ↑ Ohio AG Mike DeWine switches backing from Romney to Santorum before GOP presidential primary
  21. ↑ "Election Results". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  22. ↑ "Election Statistics". United States House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Retrieved 2014-03-09.

External links