Buckeye Reporter

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci recently said that if elected governor he would boost election security.

Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has rejected the discredited idea that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump. Renacci maintains that there was substantial fraud in some states, although little evidence has surfaced, according to PBS. 

If elected, Renacci is committed to restricting mail-in voting to traditional absentee voting, requiring a state-issued ID to vote and requiring regular forensic audits.

"President Trump called Mike DeWine a RINO for refuting that the 2020 election was stolen," Renacci said in a news release. "If elected I will protect our elections to re-elect Donald Trump in 2024. We need to restore faith in our election system. Mike DeWine has sided with Joe Biden saying there was no election fraud. We need to follow the constitution for our elections."

Renacci underscored his commitment to election transparency.

"As governor I will never let an election be stolen as it was in some states in 2020 against President Trump," Renacci added. "We should never move an election. A governor does not have that power. Mike DeWine acted as a dictator. ... Voter integrity is a vital issue in America. I took a position at Medina County board of elections to see the process in action over the past two cycles just so I could speak with added experience on the matter. As I’ve made clear for years, elections are the lifeblood to our republic. Ohioans must have faith in our election process."

According to Reuters, more than 50 lawsuits challenging the 2020 election have been dismissed by state and federal judges, who found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Renacci, 63, is an accountant and entrepreneur who once owned the Columbus Destroyers Arena Football team. He won election to U.S. Congress in 2010 as part of the Tea Party movement, and later endorsed Donald Trump over then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the 2016 primary for president.

According to Ballotpedia, incumbent DeWine will face off against Renacci and Joe Blystone in the May 3 GOP gubernatorial primary. The winner will appear on ballots for the general election Nov. 8.