Former Ohio Democratic state Sen. Capri Cafaro knocked fellow Democrat Richard Cordray, who is running for governor of the Buckeye State, in a recent interview, saying he is "not particularly well liked."
Cordray on Tuesday won the Democratic nomination for Ohio's gubernatorial race—along with running mate Betty Sutton, a former U.S. congresswoman—beating former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich. They will now face off against state Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine and his running mate, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, in the general election in November.
Cafaro appeared on "The Bill Press Show" to recap the Democratic primary and anaylze the political landscape going into the general election. During her discussion with Press, Cafaro noted that, until the primary was decided, about 40 percent of Ohio Democrats were unsure of which candidate they would support.
"I know people that were not sure what they were going to do," Cafaro said. "Cordray is not honestly particularly well liked."
Cafaro also discussed the problems that Cordray's Democratic opponents faced that helped him win. She also noted that DeWine beat Cordray for attorney general in 2010, when Cordray was the incumbent.
"Here's a fun fact: Mike DeWine beat Rich Cordray when Rich Cordray was the sitting attorney general in 2010," she said. "So, that's a thing that makes me scratch my head, like, 'Why are we signing up for this rematch?'"
Before announcing his bid for governor, Cordray served as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a position to which President Barack Obama appointed him. Cordray has faced criticism for advocating too liberal of a platform in a state that President Donald Trump won in 2016.
In this week's Ohio primaries, Republicans had a larger turnout than Democrats, creating a sense of optimism for the GOP ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.