COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Nan Whaley, the mayor of Dayton, has announced she will be running for Ohio governor. 

When Whaley, a democrat, announced in January she wouldn’t be seeking a third term as mayor of Dayton, it was speculated she would be seeking a higher office.

On Monday, Whaley officially launched her campaign for Governor of Ohio.

“The people of Ohio deserve better. The same politicians have been in charge for 30 years as Ohioans have fallen further behind. It’s time for a change,” Whaley stated in a release. “We deserve an Ohio where one job is enough to provide for your family. An Ohio where your kids have real opportunities. An Ohio where everyone, no matter your zip code, can thrive. I’m running for governor because it’s time Ohioans had a government — and a governor — who works for us, not for themselves.”

Whaley came to prominence during a mass shooting in Dayton in 2019, and she has worked on the opioid crisis and been a proponent of downtown revitalization in Dayton.