McGuire, who has spent decades with associations aiming to help marginalized people in and around Dayton, told this news organization her focus as state senator would be to bring unity and act as “a voice for Montgomery County,” adding, “That’s all I want to be.”
“I’ve always been a voice for the people that are not at the table (so) that they have the right people that are working for them to be sure that they have options to improve their quality of life, that they have options to make sure they have food on their table and a roof over their head, options for clothes on their back,” McGuire said in an interview shortly after announcing her candidacy.
Despite being the party-favored, sole Republican in a race to replace an incumbent conservative, McGuire faces an uphill battle in the 6th Senate District. The district was redrawn in this year’s redistricting process and now leans Democratic by about eight points. The opportunity has drawn several high-profile Democrats to vie for their party’s nomination next March and go head-to-head with McGuire in November 2024.
Montgomery County Republican Chair Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, told this news organization that he wanted a Republican candidate that could cast a wide net of appeal.
“This is a tough race for us, we know that; but we have the right candidate here. Charlotte is going to get a lot of crossover votes, so she’s going to be a tremendous candidate,” Plummer said. “Her love is people, her passion is people, and she’s the right person who will actually do her job.”
The former community affairs director for the City of Dayton told this news organization that she intends to use her position, should she win it, to advocate for “successful children, strong families, secure freedoms, safe communities and a soaring economy.”
She declined to comment about her positions on Ohio’s recently passed abortion-rights amendment or various other citizen-initiated constitutional amendments that Ohioans could bring to a vote in 2024, including an amendment that sets a $15 minimum wage; one that sets a citizen redistricting commission; and one that would end qualified immunity for government workers.
McGuire was first appointed to the Ohio State Board of Education by former Gov. John Kasich in 2016. She comfortably won a contested, nonpartisan election campaign in 2018. In 2022, she won re-election as the only candidate on the ballot. She currently represents Montgomery, Butler, Darke, Miami and Preble counties on the board.
Candidates need to collect and return signatures from eligible voters by Dec. 20, in order to participate in the March 2024 primaries.
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