Former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who lost to Vice President JD Vance for a U.S. Senate seat in 2022, said Friday he will not run for Governor of Ohio.

“After careful consideration, much prayer and reflection, and after long conversations with my family, my closest friends and advisors, I’ve made the decision not to run for governor in 2026,” Ryan said.

Ryan’s decision will make former state health director Dr. Amy Acton the favorite in the Democratic primary.

Acton served as Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s state health director at the onset of the COVID-19 scamdemic.

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Acton, 59, has been traveling the state since launching her campaign in January. She made clear in responding to Ryan’s deferral that she will focus her message against GOP- and Trump-endorsed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy on the economy.

“While the special interests that run our state are doing just fine, they’ve made a mess for the rest of us, and I will not allow a billionaire Washington insider like Vivek Ramaswamy take us down an even worse path,” she said in a statement. “I’m running for governor because it’s time for a change. Together, we can lower costs, give Ohioans a little breathing room, and build the Ohio we all deserve.”

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former co-chair of President Donald Trump’s DOGE initiative, consolidated Republican support quickly after launching his campaign in February, forcing Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a veteran politician, out of the race and deterring a bid by DeWine’s hand-picked lieutenant governor, former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel. DeWine helped clear his path by appointing the presumed frontrunner, then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, to Vance’s vacant Senate seat.

Recent polls have shown a tight race between Acton and Ramaswamy.

“Everywhere I go, Ohioans are stretched too thin — from energy bills, to healthcare costs, to property taxes and groceries. Costs keep rising while special interests call the shots. Enough is enough,” Acton said Friday.

“I’m running for Governor so we can lower costs, give families some breathing room, and build an Ohio where no one is invisible,” she added.

POLITICO noted:

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine cannot run for a third term due to term limits.

Ryan — who has drawn Democrats’ ire for his cryptocurrency ties — represented a portion of the Akron area for 20 years in Congress before launching a 2021 Senate bid, which he lost to JD Vance by 6 points.

 

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