Betty Sutton

In this October 2012 file photo, then-U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton of Copley debates against Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth at The City Club of Cleveland. Sutton, a Democrat, will enter the race for Ohio governor on Tuesday.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton will enter the race for Ohio governor today, giving Democrats a second confirmed candidate in as many weeks.

"I spent my life standing up for working families -- the laborers, the firefighters, the teachers," Sutton, a former labor lawyer who lives in Copley, said in a telephone interview. "I want to be the governor who stands up to the powerful interests [on behalf of] working people."

Sutton, 53, has moved into campaign mode aggressively. Two months ago she was in her final days as administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., a federal job that prevented her from engaging in politics. She left the post with the changeover to a Republican administration and quickly began meeting with party activists about a gubernatorial bid.

Randy Borntrager, a veteran Ohio operative who has worked for the state Democratic Party and for former U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, will serve as Sutton's campaign manager.

After years in politics at the local, state and congressional levels, Sutton believes her job overseeing the waterway provided executive experience that would serve her well as governor.

"This is a natural step, and I'm very, very lucky to have people in my corner supporting the public service I've done in the past and what I can do in the future as governor," she said.

With Sutton's entry, Democrats now have two announced candidates for governor. The first, Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni, jumped into the race last week, after U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a fellow Youngstown-area Democrat, ruled out a run. The list of other Democratic possibilities is long, with former State Rep. Connie Pillich of the Cincinnati area, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams among those considering a run.

Democratic insiders believe Sutton or Whaley can emerge as a top tier contender, especially if Richard Cordray remains unavailable. The former Ohio attorney general now serves as director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress hope to dismantle. Cordray is seen by many as the party's best option for governor. But he is unlikely to ditch his job -- as was the case with Sutton, he cannot campaign for elected office while serving in a federal role -- amid such uncertainty.

"This isn't about any other potential candidates for me," Sutton replied when asked if a run by Cordray or anyone else would cause her to re-evaluate her candidacy. "This is really about taking up the mantle for Ohio families, for shifting the focus on priorities that matter to them."

Sutton's candidacy raises the possibility of a political rematch. Among the four top Republican prospects for governor is U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, who beat Sutton in a 2012 battle of incumbents triggered by redistricting. Sutton lost that race by about 4 percentage points.

Asked if another race with Renacci interested her, Sutton remained strictly on message. "What interests me and what motivates me is fighting for working families in Ohio and ordinary Ohioans who haven't always had a voice," she said. "That really is my motivating force."

On the GOP side, only Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor has launched a campaign to succeed Gov. John Kasich, who is term-limited in 2018. But Renacci, Attorney General Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Jon Husted all are expected to declare their candidacies soon.