COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Republican John Kasich's campaign for governor said Wednesday it will make an "historic announcement" Thursday afternoon, one day after NBC 4 confirmed through several sources that Kasich intends to tap State Auditor Mary Taylor as his running mate.
Kasich's spokesperson, Rob Nichols, would not discuss the candidates to run alongside him in the lieutenant governor position, other than to say that Mary Taylor would "would be a fantastic candidate."
Republican strategist Terry Casey points to several advantages that Taylor brings to the ticket: her northeastern Ohio roots, her professional accounting credentials and her experience as a Republican
watchdog as Democrats hold power.
"It's a big plus for John Kasich because he gets someone who is a major league player, who knows state government, and it helps focus on his key issue of Ohio, its budget and its fiscal recklessness," Casey said.
The 43-year-old Taylor is the Ohio GOP's highest ranking non-judicial officeholder and would add youth and diversity to a ticket. Elected Auditor in 2006, Taylor's campaign said Wednesday afternoon that she is still running for re-election.
The campaign did not respond to our request to discuss her candidacy for the auditor's job. If Taylor shares the ticket with Kasich, republicans need to find a replacement candidate for auditor.
Taylor's departure from the auditor's race creates a political opportunity for her Democratic challenger, Hamilton County commissioner David Pepper.
Ohio's auditor is on the powerful apportionment board set to redraw legislative districts next year.
On the Democratic side, political insiders tell NBC 4 that central Ohioan Yvette McGee brown is the leading candidate to be Governor Strickland's running mate.
Strickland campaign spokesperson Lis Smith told NBC 4 Wednesday that the campaign has not made a decision on a running mate and will not make a decision this week. A representative of Brown relayed a "no comment" response to NBC 4.
Brown is the president of the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Brown formerly served as a judge in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and continues to serve on the boards of several Central Ohio organizations.
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