Richard Michael DeWine is an American politician and attorney serving since 2019 as the 70th governor of Ohio.
64 Facts About Mike DeWine
2.
Mike DeWine previously served as the 50th Attorney General of Ohio, from 2011 to 2019, and in both houses of Congress: in the US House of Representatives from 1983 to 1991 and in the US Senate from 1995 to 2007.
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Mike DeWine graduated from Miami University with a bachelor's degree in 1969 and earned a Juris Doctor from Ohio Northern University College of Law in 1972.
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Mike DeWine served as a US representative from 1983 until 1991.
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Mike DeWine was elected to the United States Senate in a landslide in the 1994 Republican Revolution.
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Mike DeWine served in the Senate until his defeat by Sherrod Brown in 2006.
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Mike DeWine returned to politics four years later and became the 50th attorney general of Ohio, serving from 2011 to 2019.
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In early 2020, Mike DeWine received national attention for his COVID-19 response.
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Mike DeWine ordered the closing of dine-in restaurant service and sporting events and delegated additional resources to elderly care facilities.
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Mike DeWine responded to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine by banning the sale of Russian Standard vodka and coordinating Ohio's efforts alongside nonprofits for resettling Ukrainian refugees.
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Mike DeWine is the son of Jean Ruth and Richard Lee DeWine.
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Mike DeWine was raised and identifies as a Roman Catholic.
13.
Mike DeWine earned his Bachelor of Science degree in education from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1969 and a Juris Doctor from Ohio Northern University College of Law in 1972.
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At age 25, Mike DeWine started working as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Greene County, Ohio, and in 1976 was elected County Prosecutor, serving for four years.
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Mike DeWine was reelected three more times from this district, which stretches from his home in Springfield to the Columbus suburbs.
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Mike DeWine ran unopposed in 1986 in what was regarded as a bad year for Republicans nationally.
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Mike DeWine did not seek reelection to the House of Representatives in 1990, instead running for lieutenant governor as George Voinovich's running mate in that year's Ohio gubernatorial election.
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In 1992, Mike DeWine unsuccessfully ran for United States Senate against the former astronaut and incumbent Senator John Glenn.
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In 1994, Mike DeWine ran again for Senate, defeating prominent attorney Joel Hyatt by a 14-point margin.
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Mike DeWine was reelected in 2000, defeating gunshow promoter Ronald Dickson and former US Rep.
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Mike DeWine sat on the Senate Judiciary and Select Intelligence committees.
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Mike DeWine was the initial sponsor of the Drug-Free Century Act in 1999.
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Mike DeWine voted in favor of the 2002 Iraq Resolution authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein.
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Mike DeWine received 905,644 fewer votes in 2006 than he received in 2000.
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Mike DeWine accepted positions teaching government courses at Cedarville University, Ohio Northern University and Miami University.
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Mike DeWine advised the Ohio campaign of John McCain's 2008 presidential bid.
27.
On July 21,2009, Mike DeWine announced candidacy for attorney general of the State of Ohio.
28.
On February 17,2012, Mike DeWine announced he was retracting his endorsement of Romney and endorsed Rick Santorum.
29.
On November 4,2014, DeWine was reelected as attorney general, defeating challenger David A Pepper.
30.
In 2015, Mike DeWine filed a lawsuit in federal court in Ohio against a part of the Affordable Care Act.
31.
When he filed the suit, Mike DeWine claimed that the fee was "an unprecedented attempt to destroy the balance of authority between the federal government and the states".
32.
Mike DeWine appealed, but the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed Marbley's dismissal of the suit.
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Mike DeWine launched the Crimes Against Children Initiative, which paired BCI criminal investigators with seasoned prosecuting attorneys to investigate and prosecute child predators.
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Mike DeWine's office developed several task forces for the investigation and prosecutions of human trafficking throughout the state.
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Mike DeWine's efforts led to more than 100 doctors and pharmacists losing their licenses for improper prescription practices.
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In 2013, Mike DeWine formed a new Heroin Unit to provide Ohio communities with law enforcement, legal, and outreach assistance to combat the state's heroin problem.
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In October 2017, Mike DeWine announced a 12-pronged plan to combat the opioid epidemic, drawing from his experience breaking up pill mills, prosecuting traffickers, supporting recovery, and advocating the importance of drug-use prevention education.
38.
In December 2017, Mike DeWine sent a letter to Precourt reminding him of his obligations under Ohio law.
39.
On May 26,2016, Mike DeWine announced his candidacy for governor of Ohio in 2018.
40.
Mike DeWine confirmed this on June 25,2017, at the annual ice cream social held at his home in Cedarville, Ohio.
41.
On December 1,2017, Mike DeWine chose Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted as his running mate.
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Mike DeWine defeated the Democratic nominee, former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray in the general election, by a margin of about four percentage points.
43.
In October 2019, Mike DeWine held the first meeting of a Lead Advisory Committee he appointed for the state.
44.
On December 10,2019, during the Ohio Contractors Association's winter conference in Columbus, Mike DeWine said that he wanted to improve the Interstate rest areas in Ohio by adding more information about Ohio's history and culture.
45.
In January 2020, Mike DeWine sent troops from the Ohio National Guard to Puerto Rico, which had recently experienced several earthquakes.
46.
The Hill said Mike DeWine had "been one of the most aggressive governors in responding to the pandemic".
47.
Mike DeWine has supported funding for COVID-19, signing his support of a funding bill along with 37 other governors in March 2020.
48.
On March 11,2020, Mike DeWine issued an order limiting visitors to Ohio assisted living facilities and nursing homes, limiting visitors to one per day per resident, with all visitors to be screened for illness.
49.
Mike DeWine barred spectators from sporting events; was first in the US to shut down schools throughout his state; and, on the night before it was to take place, postponed Ohio's primary election.
50.
Mike DeWine directed the Ohio Department of Health to order the closing of the state's more than 22,000 food service locations and bars, except for carry-out.
51.
In December 2020, Mike DeWine signed a bill that said "fetal remains from surgical abortions in Ohio must be cremated or buried"; failure to do so would be a misdemeanor of the first degree.
52.
Mike DeWine has not joined former governor Robert Taft, former attorney general Petro, and former Speaker of the House Householder in calling for an end to Ohio executions.
53.
Yet no executions have been conducted in Ohio since Mike DeWine took office, and he has delayed executions due to "ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department".
54.
In 2021, Mike DeWine signed a redistricting map that favored Republicans.
55.
In 2004, Mike DeWine cosponsored an amendment to renew the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.
56.
Mike DeWine has repeatedly received an "F" rating from the National Rifle Association.
57.
Mike DeWine was one of only two Republican senators to vote against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which banned lawsuits against gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers for criminal misuse of their products.
58.
In 2019, Mike DeWine proposed a Red Flag Law for Ohio that would allow courts to take a gun from people seen as a threats to others or themselves.
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Mike DeWine sponsored legislation on determining when aging tires become unsafe.
60.
Mike DeWine opposes same-sex marriage and sponsored the Federal Marriage Amendment to the US Constitution, which would have prevented same-sex marriage.
61.
Mike DeWine argued in the Supreme Court in favor of prohibitions on same-sex marriage, saying that same-sex marriage bans infringe on "no fundamental right" and that states should not have to recognize same-sex couples who married in other states.
62.
In 2020, Mike DeWine signed a bill that forbids colleges and universities in Ohio blocking controversial speakers.
63.
In 2020, Mike DeWine's compensation was 17th among state governors, at $159,189, compared to a maximum of $225,000 for the governor of New York and a minimum of $70,000 for the governor of Maine.
64.
Former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin Mike DeWine is Mike DeWine's second cousin.