Senate, governor debates canceled in Ohio after GOP opts out

By JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An independent commission in Ohio has canceled a pair of debates in the state’s governor’s and U.S. Senate races because the Republican candidates declined to participate. The Ohio Debate Commission expressed disappointment on Wednesday that neither Republican Gov. Mike DeWine nor Senate nominee JD Vance accepted their invitations by a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline. The invitations were extended in May. Republicans have cast the Ohio Debate Commission as less than even-handed. Both Democratic gubernatorial nominee Nan Whaley and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic Senate nominee, had accepted their invitations. Whaley cast DeWine as a coward unwilling to defend his record. DeWine has said Ohioans already know him and his positions well.