WADSWORTH – What might have been one of the worst guarded secrets in state politics became official the morning of March 20 when U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Wadsworth) announced his candidacy for governor of the state of Ohio.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is term limited. Renacci, who grew up near Pittsburgh, is a four-term congressman representing Ohio’s 16th Congressional District and former mayor of the city of Wadsworth, who positions himself as an outsider, emphasizing his decades-long business acumen.

“You have to go back 34 years when I came to Ohio. It was a land of opportunity, a great place to raise a family and I knew it was a great place to start a business,” Renacci said.

The certified public accountant owned the Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet dealership in Wadsworth. General Motors went bankrupt in 2009. The federal government stepped in and took the business from him.

“When I saw that occur I thought the government was infringing in my business life,” Renacci said. “I ventured down to Washington (D.C.) and learned that career politicians continued to dictate and run things in Washington, as they do in Ohio.”

Renacci adds that he wants to give citizens of the state the chance to succeed that he had more than three decades ago.

“Ohio can’t wait for Washington. It will be years before Washington fixes itself,” he said. “I’m a believer that I can come back to Ohio, take my 30 years of experience and give Ohioans the opportunity I had 34 years ago. I do love the idea of taking my experience and using my background to help a state that helped me get to where I am. It’s an opportunity to give back, which I’ve always done in my career.”

Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor filed her paperwork to run for governor last month. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted are other Republicans expected to announce soon.

Former State Rep. Connie Pillich, Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni and former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, whom Renacci defeated for his current seat, have declared their intention to run for the highest office in the state.

“Give me a choice between a name and somebody’s who’s gotten the job done, I’ll take the guy that gets the job done,” says a man who appears in the Renacci campaign’s introductory video, which also features Renacci riding a motorcycle.

“The only reason some of the other candidates have name recognition is that they are career politicians,” Renacci said. “They’ve spent all their lives running for office, moving from one musical chair to another in the state of Ohio. They have name identification, while I have accomplishment identification. I plan on letting people know what my accomplishments are to let people understand who I am in regard to the differences with the other candidates.”

The national wave of support that elected President Donald Trump, a Washington outsider, could benefit Renacci in his run for governor.

“People are fed up with career politicians who use the pay for play model. They give contracts based on donations received,” Renacci said. “It’s a very frustrating model that allows for career politicians to stay in office. People want to see that gone and as governor I’m going to make sure that’s gone.”

There are a number of challenges that Ohio faces in the years to come. Renacci lists Medicaid expansion, the tax system and business regulations as those near the top of the list. Growing the economy is above all of the aforementioned.

“To do that, who better than somebody who has been a part of the economy for 30-plus years, who has created 1,500 jobs and employed 3,000 people,” Renacci said. “I know the ups and downs, I know the issues, I know that we have job killing regulations that hurt working families and I know we have a tax system that is very complicated.”