COLUMBUS– In a video message to supporters this weekend, Jon Husted announced that he will seek the Republican nomination for Governor of Ohio in the 2018 election.

Quick facts about Jon Husted are available at the end of this release.

Speaking from his childhood hometown of Montpelier, Ohio, Husted stated, “As Barack Obama said, folks here cling to our religion and our guns and there’s no doubt my family would firmly fit in Hillary Clinton’s basket of deplorables. And we’re proud of it.”

Jon Husted is the Ohio Secretary of State and previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives where he was twice elected by his republican colleagues as Speaker of the House. Prior to entering public service, Husted worked with the Dayton-Area Chamber of Commerce as the Vice President for Economic Development.

Having been adopted as a child , Jon Husted is the oldest of Jim and Judy Husted’s three children. Husted cites his own adoption as a driving force behind his staunchly pro-life position.

Jon Husted is the only statewide elected official in Ohio who holds an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA). When serving as House Speaker, Husted spearheaded passage of comprehensive reform to Ohio’s concealed carry laws in order to protect law-abiding gun owners. After the bill was vetoed, then-Speaker Husted stood up to the Governor of his own party and led the vote to override the veto. No gubernatorial veto has been successfully overridden since.

During his time as Speaker, Jon Husted oversaw the passage of the most fiscally-conservative budget in four decades (House Bill 66 – 126th General Assembly) including what was at the time the largest income tax cut in Ohio history.

“Ohio needs a governor who knows what it’s like to struggle to pay the bills. A governor who’ll fight with everything he’s got for working families. A governor with a real plan for better-paying jobs, and the determination to get it done,” Secretary Husted said in the announcement video.

Husted explains that his family was forced to leave their hometown after the factory his father worked at for over 25 years was purchased by a foreign company and closed.

As Secretary of State, Jon Husted is one of five statewide, executive officeholders. Since taking office, he has reduced government spending in his office by 16 percent, even as overall state spending increased by 17 percent. Through attrition and buyouts, the Secretary reduced his government staff by 32 percent when compared to his predecessor.

In 2016, his efficiencies allowed him to announce he will end his office’s use of taxpayer funding entirely for the remainder of his term. This action built on his budget request from 2015 in which he was the only statewide executive officeholder to request a cut, not an increase, in his biennial budget.

Jon Husted’s proven record as a fiscal conservative earned him the distinction of being named the 2017 Americans for Prosperity-Ohio Torchbearer (inaugural holder).

“I’m running for Governor so that no matter how you grew up, the American Dream is alive for you in Ohio… It’s time for new ideas and a new generation of leadership,” Husted said in closing the video.

Husted was named one of the nation’s top-ten rising stars in 2013 by the Washington Post’s blog, The Fix. He has been honored by the Association of the United States Army and the Military Voter Protection Project for his work helping active duty military members cast their ballots. He is also a past recipient of the “Watchdog of the Treasury” award by the American Conservative Union (multiple times) and was named “Guardian of Small Business” by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

JON HUSTED PERSONAL FACTS:

• Date of birth: August 25, 1967
  
• 53rd and current Secretary of State of Ohio (2011–present)
  
• Served as the 99th Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives (2005–2009)
  
• Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 37th District (2001-2009)
  
• Served as a member of the Ohio Senate for the 6th District (2009-2011)
  
• Jon and Tina Husted were married on October 7, 2005.
  
• Three children, Alex (21), Katie (10) and Kylie (7).
  
• Graduated from Montpelier High School (1985).
  
• Earned both a Bachelor’s (1989) and a Master’s (1993) Degree from the University of Dayton.
  
• Was a member of the 1989 University of Dayton Division III National Football Team.
  
• Adopted by Jim and Judy Husted and raised in Montpelier, Ohio.
  

  GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION QUICKFACTS:

• Current Ohio Governor John Kasich has reached the 2-term limit and cannot stand for reelection.
  
• The 2018 Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, May 8th.
  
• The 2018 General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 6th.
  
• Ohio Governor’s are inaugurated on the second Monday of January following a statewide election.
  
• The 70th Governor of Ohio will be inaugurated on January 14, 2019.