EATON — Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor stopped by 1808 Cafe in Eaton on Friday, April 6, for a meet-and-greet with Preble County voters. Taylor is campaigning with Nathan Estruth in the Republican Primary for governor of Ohio. Her current competition is Mike DeWine and Jon Husted, whose ticket has the endorsement from the Preble County Central Committee.
Taylor hosted the event in Eaton with the intention of getting to know Preble County voters and convincing them she should have their vote in May. Voters will decide which ticket they want to run for governor on Tuesday, May 8. The winners of the primary election will face either Richard Cordray or Dennis Kucinich in November.
Taylor pleaded her case to a crowd of approximately 19 Preble County voters, where she explained her voter history and how she compares to DeWine and Husted.
“We are doing these meet-and-greets all over the State of Ohio and we really appreciate you coming out to get a full understanding of what your choice is for this May primary,” she said. “I have no problem making it unmistakably clear where I stand on the issues that matter to the people. That is who I am. I will tell you though, I am a little worried about our Republican Party and I am especially worried about our Republican Party in Columbus.
“I am an unapologetic conservative and that is what I believe Ohio deserves. I will stand on those Conservative principals, even though I believe too many republicans have walked away from them. That is why I am running to be the next Governor of the State of Ohio.”
Lt. Gov. Taylor shared some of her background — what she believes to be her “American Dream.”
From Akron, Taylor was raised by her single father, who was a brick layer. She said she got her work ethic and drive from watching her father work hard, despite his disability he acquired after having polio as a baby. She was the first from her family to graduate from college, when she received her degree in accounting from the University of Akron. She started her private sector career after graduation.
When her first son was born, she balanced her career with being a devoted and loving mother. She worked a part-time schedule so she could do both. “Women followed behind me and were able to do the same thing,” she noted. She spent 16 years working in the private sector as a CPA. She got involved in politics due to a local property rights issue.
She started at city council and then ran for the state legislature to become a state representative. According to Taylor, she won the first legislative race in a “deeply blue district.” She was also the only Republican to win statewide in 2006, a landslide Democrat election year. She became state auditor that year.
“As your state auditor, I did what I said I was going to do. I held government accountable for the tax dollars it spends. I understand the importance of protecting those tax dollars. I was proud to be called a watch dog of the Treasury,” she said.
“As your governor, I will end the Medicaid expansion. I have said from the beginning that it is not sustainable and it is not the best we can do.,” Taylor said. “The vast majority of individuals in that population are able bodied adults. Our efforts should be on getting those individuals back to work. I will end common core curriculum, once and for all, restoring local control to our parents and communities to design a curriculum that best meets the needs of our students.
“I’m going to return our individual tax return back to a post card,” she continued. “Today it takes 11 full pages to file that tax return. Not only is that good for the individual, but most small businesses use that to file their taxes. I want those businesses focused on creating jobs and growing their business. I will shut down sanctuary cities and I will use budget language that says if you are a local government receiving money from the state that you must comply with federal and state immigration laws.”
“We will probably take one extra step, if you are a local official and you have a sanctuary city, there will be penalties and in some cases criminal charges filed,” Taylor said. “I have rolled out a comprehensive solution to the addiction crisis we face. To be clear, it is not a government solution, it is a private sector solution. Step one is to build the wall. We have to secure our borders and prevent these drugs from coming into our country in the first place.”
She added, she is a strong defender of the Second Amendment and is a concealed carry license holder herself.
“We need you to do a couple things. Number one, to vote for me. Number two, engage your networks, get people involved, and let them know there is a real choice in this race,” she said. “You have a conservative choice in this race on May 8. We need your help and your support. We are going to win. Conservatives are coming out, getting involved, and are engaged. We will come back together on May 9 and united our party to face the dire threat of Richard Cordray or Dennis Kucinich.”
Her running mate, Nathan Estruth, is from the private sector. According to Taylor, she wanted someone from the private sector who was also a dedicated conservative. Estruth has more than 26 years of experience at Procter & Gamble, including global multi-national companies, venture and private equity backed high growth companies, large and small retailers, franchising, health care service and diagnostic companies, and several start-ups.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science International Relations from UCLA and spent an additional year of graduate study at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University before joining P&G.
Estruth said, “We will stand up and fight for those values that we hold dear. Look at both of our records, I don’t have a voting record, but I do have a history. When you look at this race, you have a clear conservative/liberal choice. Thank you for being here today and thank you for listening.”
