Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine navigates changing GOP at Republican convention

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stood among throngs of Republicans in Milwaukee Monday as music blared and the party prepared to nominate Ohio Sen. JD Vance for vice president .

This isn't his first rodeo − his tenth, to be exact. DeWine attended his first Republican National Convention when Ronald Reagan was nominated for his second term as president in 1984 − the year Vance was born.

But the GOP has changed drastically in the nearly 50 years since DeWine became Greene County prosecutor, a job that kicked off decades of public service from Washington to Columbus.

For starters, the Republican Party under former President Donald Trump prizes outsiders over so-called career politicians like DeWine. They espouse economic populism and prefer an isolationist foreign policy. Elected officeholders are younger, louder and less beholden to the traditions that anchored DeWine's career.

But this week in Milwaukee isn't about him, DeWine said. He hosted a gathering for Ohio delegates to kick off the convention but has otherwise kept a low profile, with speaking commitments reserved for those who want to replace him as governor. When CNN interviewed him Monday, the conversation centered around Vance's vice-presidential nomination.

Still, DeWine believes serving as a delegate to elect the Republican nominee for president is one way he can keep his finger on the pulse and make an impact.

"What I've learned over having done this for almost 50 years is if you want to be able to be effective, if you want to be able to fight for the things that you believe in, you have to stay in the game," DeWine said. "And that simply means you have to be part of the discussion. I'm a Republican. I said a long time ago I would support the Republican nominee for president."

DeWine a 'steady influence' in Ohio GOP

DeWine's presence at this week's convention in Milwaukee comes after years of public disagreements with members of his own party − including Trump.

Republicans in the state Legislature pushed back against the DeWine administration's efforts to enact public health mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, they voted to override his veto of legislation to ban gender-affirming care for minors. DeWine's decision also drew the ire of Trump, who called the governor a "stiff" and said he's "fallen to the Radical Left."

GOP strategist Mark Weaver said DeWine has been a "steady influence" for the party who's never gotten caught up in the Trump phenomenon − whether other Republicans like it or not.

"He doesn’t really aggressively hate any of his fellow Republicans," Weaver said. "He doesn’t typically wholeheartedly love any of his fellow Republicans. He’s just very deliberate about being right down the middle of the road. To the extent he has some enemies in the Republican Party, it’s largely because of his tendency to play the middle."

Earlier this year, DeWine endorsed state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, over Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno in the March Senate primary − something Moreno said is now water under the bridge. Republicans make choices about who to support during primaries, he said, and they're now united behind a goal of defeating Democrats in November.

Moreno also argued that Republicans don't have irreparable policy differences, even if politicians like Trump and DeWine differ stylistically.

"There isn't in my mind a distinction between what you would call a traditional Republican versus a new-style Republican," he said. "I just don't see it. I think that's all created to divide Republicans."

DeWine isn't shy when he deviates from his party. Unlike Vance, he believes the U.S. has a vital interest in supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia. He also disagreed with the senator's accusation that President Joe Biden's campaign is to blame for the assassination attempt against Trump.

But he also sees an opportunity in Vance, 39, to chart a course for the party's future.

"I don't always agree with everything that Vance says," DeWine said. "But I think he's going to be a good nominee. I think he's the new generation. This is certainly a good thing for Ohio."

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine navigates changing GOP at Republican convention