Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley has withdrawn from the race for Ohio Governor. Before a crowd at the Dayton Public Library downtown, the mayor thanked those who had supported her campaign over the last eight months.
“So many wonderful people have encouraged me and inspired me to fight for the issues that matter to them, to fight for those who feel like they have been forgotten, to fight for those who have been ignored for way too long," she said. "And, I will fight, but not as your governor. This morning I am withdrawing from the race for governor and ending my campaign.”
Whaley is throwing her support behind Richard Cordray, who joined the mayor at the morning press conference. The former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director praised Whaley for her decision to leave the race.
“What Nan is doing today is a high-minded and generous act," Cordray said. "Under the extreme pressures that we all face in politics, we do not always find a way to manage that. These things are hard and none of us is perfect, but all of us can admire a person who sets an example like Nan is doing today.”
Cordray also praised the mayor for battling what he called, “the war on local governments that state legislatures have been waging for many years.”
Cordray, just this week, announced his choice for running mate -- former Congresswoman and Obama-era official Betty Sutton.
