Republican Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor is expected to formalize her run for Ohio governor during remarks at the City Club of Cleveland on Friday.
The 51-year-old Taylor has served by Gov. John Kasich's side since 2011. He has already pledged he'll endorse her when she joins the crowded Republican field. Attorney General Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Jon Husted and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, of Wadsworth, are already running.
Taylor, of Green, is a former two-term state representative and state auditor. She stepped down as the state's insurance director in March in anticipation of her gubernatorial run.
Last month, Taylor made public that her two sons have struggled with opioid addiction, adding her family to the thousands affected by the national prescription painkiller and heroin crisis.
