President Joe Biden called to congratulate Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on his victory in Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, the White House Press Office announced Wednesday.
DeWine won reelection by a landslide against his Democratic opponent Nan Whaley, defeating the former Dayton mayor 62%-37%. The Ohio governor is the first known Republican the president has congratulated for a 2022 midterm victory.
DeWine received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump at a September campaign rally in Youngstown, CNN previously reported. The former president had previously expressed dislike for the governor and had attempted to find a primary challenger to compete against DeWine after he recognized Biden as the legitimate victor in the 2020 presidential election.
.@POTUS called Ohio’s Republican Governor @MikeDeWine to congratulate him on winning re-election, per the White House.
— Akayla Gardner (@gardnerakayla) November 9, 2022
The Ohio governor is one of several Republican governors to win reelection. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis achieved a massive victory in his race against Democratic candidate Charlie Crist, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp handily defeated their opponents, Beto O’Rourke and Stacey Abrams. (RELATED: Biden Praises DeSantis In Florida While Surveying Hurricane Ian Destruction)
The president congratulated several Democrats on their victories Wednesday, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, and Pennsylvania Rep. Matt Cartwright, the White House Press Office said in a statement obtained by the Daily Caller. He has also communicated with Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is facing a runoff with Republican opponent Herschel Walker, and Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, whose race against Republican challenger Blake Masters remained too close to call as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The press office further noted that Democratic Florida Rep. Val Demings and Democratic New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who lost their races for U.S. Senate and reelection to the House, respectively, had received calls from Biden.