COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An open Senate seat in Ohio has set off a scramble among state Democrats and a spirited debate over whether the nominee should be a white man or a candidate who better represents the party’s diversity. Those discussions come as Dr. Amy Acton, a former state health director who was the face of Ohio’s early pandemic response, and veteran Congressman Tim Ryan, who represents Ohio’s blue-collar Steel Valley, position to pursue the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce, a former state treasurer who is Black, are also exploring.
