It was widely expected, but Sen. Elizabeth Warren formally endorsed her fellow Democrat, Richard Cordray, for Ohio governor.
The endorsement from the Massachusetts senator comes as little surprise because Cordray stepped down last month as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency that Warren helped to set up. Also, when Cordray announced his campaign Tuesday, he released a video in which Warren and former President Barack Obama said laudatory things about him.
Also Wednesday, Obama's former senior adviser Valerie Jarrett also praised Cordray in a tweet.
"I'm so excited @RichCordray is running for Governor of Ohio. At the CFPB he gave us the strongest consumer protections in history. Now, he'll be a fearless voice for ALL Ohioans," it said.
The financial protection bureau was set up in the wake of the 2008 market meltdown as part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.
"Everyone was hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis -- but Ohio got hit really hard," Warren said in her endorsement of Cordray.
"Wall Street had gambled with our economy, and Ohio families paid the price with their jobs, their homes, and their life savings. So Rich Cordray fought back: He took on AIG. And Merrill Lynch/Bank of America. And Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. His office forced Wall Street to return nearly $2 billion to the workers, retirees, and investors of Ohio."
Nationally, bureau has returned almost $12 billion to consumers, its website says.
Saying that Wall Street banks "have about 12 billion reasons to stop Rich Cordray from becoming governor," Warren asked voters to "stand with Rich and be one of the first supporters of his campaign to take back Ohio for working families."
Also running in the Democratic primary are former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton of Copley, state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, former state Rep. Connie Pillich of Montgomery and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. U.S. Supreme Court Justice William M. O'Neill says he make his intentions known Friday.
On the Republican side, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is running for governor with Secretary of State Jon Husted as running mate. U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor also are seeking the GOP nod.
(c)2017 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio)
