Richard Cordray, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, formally entered the race to be the next governor of Ohio today.
Cordray, a former attorney general for the Buckeye State, had been rumored to be mulling a run for governor for several months.
The Democrat is seeking to succeed current governor, John Kasich, who is not running because of term limits. According to a published report, Cordray, one of six Democrats currently in the running, is the only candidate who has won a statewide election. Cordray lost a bid for re-election as state attorney general in 2010 to Mike DeWine. That led to Cordray being named the first permanent director of the CFPB. Cordray, whose term as director of the CFPB was due to expire next summer, resigned from his position on Nov. 24. His appointment of Leandra English as deputy director and his subsequent resignation have thrown the leadership of the federal agency into some uncertainty. President Trump, using the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, named Mick Mulvaney as the acting director.
“I could feel as the year went on that there was a bigger fight developing back here in Ohio,” Cordray said during an appearance today announcing his candidacy. “And it’s a fight that we’re seeing is over the soul of America in terms of how we handle politics, how we handle our communities, how we treat one another.”
Cordray had been very coy about his plans to run for governor, frequently ducking questions about his plans. He said today he spoke with former president Barack Obama before he decided to resign as director of the CFPB.
