Nan Whaley, the former mayor of Dayton, has been projected to win the Democratic nomination for the governor of Ohio.

Whaley on Tuesday defeated John Cranley, the former mayor of Cincinnati, and will face incumbent Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who won renomination from Republicans to seek a second term, in November.

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The Cook Political Report has ranked Ohio’s gubernatorial race as likely Republican, leaving Whaley what is likely to be a challenging path in the fall.

The two rivals reportedly entered the race as “close friends,” but the contest became increasingly bitter as the two former mayors drew closer to Tuesday's primary.

Cranley advocated legalizing cannabis as part of criminal justice reform and using clean energy initiatives to create jobs. Whaley, who was endorsed by Ohio’s Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, vowed to veto any bill that restricts abortion access as governor and advocated stricter regulations on firearms. As mayor, Whaley gained national praise for her handling of a 2019 shooting in the city, later sparring with then-President Donald Trump after criticizing his rhetoric.

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Cranley is the co-founder of the Ohio Innocence Project in 2002, which his campaign said has exonerated and freed 33 wrongfully convicted people in the state. He also campaigned on population and job growth in Cincinnati during his time as mayor.