Bottom Lines are our most up-to-date take on a race. OHIO: This is yet another open Republican-held seat that is high on both parties’ target lists. By the time incumbent Gov. John Kasich leaves office in January of 2019, Republicans will have held the governorship for 24 of the last 28 years. In the era of Trump, Democrats believe they have a shot at breaking Republicans’ streak. There are already four announced candidates, including former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, but strategists are waiting for a decision from Richard Cordray, the current director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Cordray is something of a hero to Democrats as the first director of the agency established as part of the Dodd-Frank financial services reform law, although his tenure will provide Republicans with plenty of fodder if he does run. If Cordray opts out of the race, it’s possible the field may grow. In the meantime, Sutton, who represented a district in the northern part of the state until losing re-election in 2012, is the nominal frontrunner by virtue of her geographical base.

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