A long-awaited announcement will finally arrive on Tuesday, when former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Richard Cordray has scheduled an event to declare his candidacy for Ohio governor.
Cordray will make the announcement at Lilly’s Kitchen Table, a diner in his hometown of Grove City, just south of Columbus. The former Ohio Attorney General and Treasurer couldn't talk about his plans while he was heading up the CFPB, but since he's resigned, he can officially join the race.
On Monday afternoon, Cordray seemed to confirm the long-standing rumors, retweeting a report about his announcement from The Columbus Dispatch.
Four other Democrats have already declared for the governor race: former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, state Sen. Joe Schiavoni and former state Rep. Connie Pillich. Those candidates will meet Monday night in Cleveland for the second Democratic primary debate, where Cordray will likely be a prominent topic in his absence.
Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill, who was not invited to the debate, said he'll file paperwork to run in February but has also said he may not if Cordray runs. As for the rest of the Democrats, they criticized Cordray for stepping down from the financial watchdog, which has long been under attack from Republicans.
