Ohio Democrats trying to turn GOP statewide tide

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Democrats in Ohio are trying to turn a recent Republican tide in statewide races, relying on a ticket led by a familiar U.S. senator and a competitive governor candidate.

Sherrod Brown, first elected to an Ohio office in 1974, is seeking his third Senate term against fourth-term U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci. Richard Cordray, President Barack Obama's appointee as federal consumer protection chief, is locked in a tight race for governor with Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine. It's a rematch of the 2010 election when DeWine narrowly ousted Cordray to become attorney general.

DeWine's been running in elections nearly as long as Brown, who unseated DeWine in the 2006 Senate race.