![](https://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/eddfa45/2147483647/thumbnail/640x420/quality/85/?url=http://media.beam.usnews.com/56/34/762dfe5a4e208c6627e8a4095237/mrz010422dapc.jpg)
By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Democrat John Cranley, a former Cincinnati mayor who is seeking to end the Republican party’s dominance of the governor’s office, has picked veteran state lawmaker Teresa Fedor to be his running mate.
Cranley said Wednesday that he has selected the state senator from Toledo, who made a name for herself in the legislature by leading the fight against human trafficking and speaking out for abortion rights.
Cranley is seeking for the party’s nomination against Nan Whaley, a former Dayton mayor who also plans to reveal her running mate Wednesday.
The dueling announcements come with four months to go before the May primary election.
Political Cartoons
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine also expects to face a primary challenge from former GOP U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci and Joe Blystone, a farmer from central Ohio.
Republicans have controlled the state’s top elected office the past three decades, winning all but one election over that span.
Whaley and Cranley, whose terms as mayor just ended, have been friends for several years.
Cranley said Wednesday he chose Fedor to be his running mate because of her experience and wisdom, saying the former teacher has sought to hold rogue charter schools accountable and fought for abortion rights.
Fedor, who has served in the Ohio House and Senate since 2002, surprised her fellow lawmakers in 2015 during a debate over a bill restricting abortions when she shared her story of being raped while in the military and having an abortion.
Feminist leader Gloria Steinem endorsed Cranley’s bid Wednesday, saying in a statement released by the campaign that she formed a bond with Fedor after she spoke about being raped.
“I can think of no one who has more courageously represented the needs of her constituents, including the often forgotten welfare of women and girls,” Steinem said in the statement.
Republicans, meanwhile, said Ohio’s Democrats have a record at choosing candidates who are too far left.
“Whaley and Cranley’s running mates have little chance of inspiring working families who have borne the brunt of Democrats’ mounting crime crisis and record of failure,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Dan Lusheck said in a statement.
This story corrects the spelling of Fedor’s name to Teresa, not Theresa.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.