Like the Ohio Democratic Party two days earlier, the Ohio Republican Party has overcome an internal leadership dispute.
The party's central committee met Friday at the Airport Embassy Suites in Columbus to unanimously reinstate Bob Bennett as chairman. Bennett, to whose name is permanently attached the label "longtime chairman," was tapped to replace Kevin DeWine, who stepped down under pressure from Gov. John Kasich.
Bennett said he plans to seek a full term in January, 2013, to run the party during Kasich's re-election bid. He said one of his jobs will be to groom a successor.
Critics of DeWine - who presided over one of the most successful Republican elections on record in 2010 - said he was not on Kasich's side in 2010 and focused too much on re-electing loyal central committee members and not enough on promoting Republican candidates and values.
DeWine was elected to be the party's male national Republican committee member.
Here Bennett takes questions from the news media as communications director Christopher Maloney looks on.
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