2026 Ohio gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2026 United States gubernatorial elections.

2026 Ohio gubernatorial election

←  2022 November 3, 2026 2030 →

Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent Governor Mike DeWine Republican

The 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor of Ohio. Incumbent Republican governor Mike DeWine is term-limited and ineligible to seek a third consecutive term. The winner of the election will be inaugurated on January 11, 2027. ^[1]

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Vivek Ramaswamy, founder of Roivant Sciences and presidential candidate in 2024 ^[2]

Withdrawn

• Heather Hill, former president of the Morgan County School Board (running as an independent) ^[3]
• Matt Mayer, former director of the Buckeye Institute ^[4]
• Robert Sprague, Ohio state treasurer (2019–present) (endorsed Ramaswamy, running for secretary of state) ^[5]
• Dave Yost, Ohio attorney general (2019–present) and former Ohio state auditor (2011–2019) ^[6]

Declined

• Warren Davidson, U.S. representative from Ohio's 8th congressional district (2016–present) (endorsed Ramaswamy) ^[7]
• Jon Husted, U.S. senator (2025–present), former lieutenant governor (2019–2025), and candidate for governor in 2018 ^[8] ( running for U.S. Senate) ^[9]
• Frank LaRose, Ohio secretary of state (2019–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024 (running for state auditor, ^[10] endorsed Ramaswamy) ^[11]
• Jim Tressel, lieutenant governor of Ohio (2025–present) ^[12]

Endorsements

Vivek Ramaswamy

Presidents of the United States

• Donald Trump, 45th & 47th President of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present) ^[13]

U.S. senators

• Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee (2019–present) ^[14]
• Mike Lee, Utah (2011–present) ^[14]
• Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming (2021–present) ^[15]
• Bernie Moreno, Ohio (2025–present) ^[16]
• Rick Scott, Florida (2019–present) ^[14]

U.S. representatives

• Warren Davidson, OH-08 (2016–present) ^[17]
• Jim Jordan, OH-04 (2007–present) ^[18]
• Greg Lopez, former CO-04 (2024–2025) ^[19]
• Michael Rulli, OH-06 (2024–present) ^[18]
• David Taylor, OH-02 (2025–present) ^[20]

State legislators and officials

• 15 state senators ^[21] including Rob McColley, President of the Ohio senate (2025–present), and his leadership team ^{[22] [21]}
• 39 state representatives ^[21] including Matt Huffman, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives (2025–present) ^{[23] [21]}
• Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State (2019–present) ^[11]
• Robert Sprague, Ohio State Treasurer (2019–present) ^[5]

Local officials

• 22 county sheriffs ^{[21] [16] [24]}

Party officials

• Alex Triantafilou, chair of the Ohio Republican Party (2023–present) ^[25]

Individuals

• Aaron Baer, president of Center for Christian Virtue ^[26]
• Steve Hilton, former Fox News host ^[19]
• Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA (deceased) ^[21]
• Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX (Independent) ^[13]
• Jake Paul, professional boxer and YouTuber ^[27]
• Donald Trump Jr., businessman and son of president Donald Trump ^[21]

Political parties

• Ohio Republican Party ^[28]

Organizations

• Armenian National Committee of America ^[29]
• Ohio Chamber of Commerce ^[30]
• Ohio Corn & Wheat ^[31]

Labor unions

• Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters ^{[32] [33]}
• Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council ^{[34] [32]}
• Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council ^{[35] [32]}
• Ohio Conference of Teamsters ^[36]

Dave Yost (withdrawn)

Statewide officials

• Ken Blackwell, former Ohio secretary of state (1999–2007) ^[37]

Local officials

• 30 county sheriffs ^[24]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Heather Hill	Vivek Ramaswamy	Dave Yost	Other	Undecided
	August 27, 2025	Hill withdraws her candidacy [3]
	May 16, 2025	Yost withdraws his candidacy [6]
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [38] [39]	April 18–24, 2025	359 (RV)	–	4%	64%	13%	19% [b]	–
Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) [40]	April 6–10, 2025	500 (LV)	± 4.4%	1%	71%	10%	11% [c]	8%
				–	75%	19%	–	6%
				–	77%	–	17% [d]	6%
	February 25, 2025	Ramaswamy declares his candidacy
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [41]	February 14–21, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.0%	9%	61%	24%	–	9%
National Public Affairs (R) [42] [A]	February 2–5, 2025	602 (RV)	± 4.0%	–	46%	18%	2% [e]	34%
WPA Intelligence (R) [43] [B]	January 28–30, 2025	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	–	57%	26%	6% [f]	10%
Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) [44] [C]	January 26–27, 2025	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	–	52%	18%	3% [g]	27%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Amy Acton, former director of the Ohio Department of Health (2019–2020) ^[45]

Publicly expressed interest

• Tim Ryan, former U.S. representative (2003–2023), nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022, and candidate for president in 2020 (decision expected by September 30, 2025) ^[46]

Declined

• Sherrod Brown, former U.S. senator (2007–2025) (running for U.S. Senate) ^[47]
• Shontel Brown, U.S. representative from Ohio's 11th congressional district (2021–present) ^[48]
• Greg Landsman, U.S. representative from Ohio's 1st congressional district (2023–present) (running for re-election) ^{[49] [48]}
• Allison Russo, former minority leader of the Ohio House of Representatives (2022–2025) and nominee for Ohio's 15th congressional district in the 2021 special election ^[50] (running for Secretary of State) ^[51]
• Emilia Sykes, U.S. representative from Ohio's 13th congressional district (2023–present) ^{[49] [48]}

Endorsements

Amy Acton

State legislators

• Bob Hagan, former state representative from the 58th district (1987–1997, 2007–2014) and state senator from the 33rd district (1997–2006) ^[52]
• Michele Lepore-Hagan, former state representative from the 58th district (2015–2023) ^[52]
• Tom Letson, former state representative from the 64th district (2007–2014) ^[52]
• Lauren McNally, state representative from the 58th district (2023–present) ^[52]

Local officials

• Nan Whaley, former mayor of Dayton (2014–2022) ^[53]

Individuals

• Michael Kripchak, nominee for Ohio's 6th congressional district in 2024 special election ^[52]
• Ed O'Neill, actor ^[54]

Organizations

• 314 Action ^[55]

Polling

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Amy Acton	Sherrod Brown	Tim Ryan	Other	Undecided
	August 18, 2025	Sherrod Brown announces his candidacy for the U.S. Senate [56]
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [38] [39]	April 18–24, 2025	335 (RV)	–	20%	59%	16%	14% [h]	–
				52%	–	38%	10% [i]	–
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [41]	February 14–21, 2025	335 (RV)	± 4.0%	20%	59%	17%	–	4%
				46%	–	45%	–	9%

Independents

Declared

• Timothy Grady, graduate student and write-in candidate for governor in 2022 ^[57]

Publicly expressed interest

• Heather Hill, former president of the Morgan County School Board ^[3] (previously ran as an Republican)

Endorsements

Timothy Grady

Political parties

• U.S. Pirate Party ^[58]
• U.S. Transhumanist Party ^[59]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Inside Elections [60]	Solid R	August 28, 2025
The Cook Political Report [61]	Likely R	September 11, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball [62]	Likely R	September 4, 2025
Race to the WH [63]	Tilt R	September 11, 2025

Polling

Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Amy Acton

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Vivek Ramaswamy (R)	Amy Acton (D)	Other	Undecided
Emerson College [64]	August 18–19, 2025	1,000 (RV)	± 3.0%	49%	39%	–	12%
Impact Research (D) [65] [D]	July 24–28, 2025	800 (LV)	± 3.5%	47%	46%	–	7%
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [38] [39]	April 18–24, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.1%	50%	45%	5% [j]	–
	February 25, 2025	Ramaswamy declares his candidacy
Public Policy Polling (D) [66] [E]	February 19–20, 2025	642 (RV)	± 3.9%	44%	45%	–	11%

Hypothetical polling

Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Tim Ryan

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Vivek Ramaswamy (R)	Tim Ryan (D)	Other	Undecided
Emerson College [64]	August 18–19, 2025	1,000 (RV)	± 3.0%	49%	41%	–	10%
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [38] [39]	April 18–24, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.1%	51%	44%	5% [j]	–
Public Policy Polling (D) [66] [E]	February 19–20, 2025	642 (RV)	± 3.9%	48%	42%	–	10%

Dave Yost vs. Amy Acton

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Dave Yost (R)	Amy Acton (D)	Other	Undecided
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [38] [39]	April 18–24, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.1%	46%	45%	9% [k]	–

Dave Yost vs. Tim Ryan

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Dave Yost (R)	Tim Ryan (D)	Other	Undecided
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [38] [39]	April 18–24, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.1%	46%	44%	10% [i]	–

Jim Tressel vs. Amy Acton

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Jim Tressel (R)	Amy Acton (D)	Other	Undecided
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [38] [39]	April 18–24, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.1%	46%	44%	10% [i]	–

Jim Tressel vs. Tim Ryan

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Jim Tressel (R)	Tim Ryan (D)	Other	Undecided
Bowling Green State University/YouGov [38] [39]	April 18–24, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.1%	46%	43%	11% [l]	–

See also

• 2026 United States gubernatorial elections
• 2026 Ohio elections

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. Jim Tressel with 14%
3. Jim Tressel with 11%
4. Jim Tressel with 17%
5. Robert Sprague and Jeremiah Workman with 1%
6. Robert Sprague with 6%
7. Robert Sprague with 2%; Jeremiah Workman with 1%
8. "Neither" with 14%
9. "Someone else" with 10%
10. "Someone else" with 5%
11. "Someone else" with 9%
12. "Someone else" with 11%

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by Yost's campaign
2. Poll sponsored by Club for Growth
3. Poll sponsored by Ramaswamy's campaign
4. Poll sponsored by Acton's campaign
5. Poll sponsored by 314 Action, an organization dedicated to electing Democratic scientists to public office.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Amy Acton (D) for governor
• Timothy Grady (I) for governor
• Heather Hill (I) for governor
• Vivek Ramaswamy (R) for governor

References

1. Muhammad, Mariyam. "Can Mike DeWine run for Ohio governor in 2026? What to know about term limits". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved February 5, 2025.
2. Smyth, Julie Carr (February 24, 2025). "Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy joins the Ohio governor's race". The Associated Press . Retrieved February 24, 2025.
3. Davidson, J. D. (August 27, 2025). "Ramaswamy's only GOP opponent leaving party". The Center Square . Retrieved August 28, 2025.
4. Pelzer, Jeremy (September 25, 2023). "Ohio Republican bows out of 2026 governor's race". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved October 2, 2023.
5. Balmert, Jessie; BeMiller, Haley (February 5, 2025). "Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague to run for secretary of state, backs Ramaswamy for governor". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved February 5, 2025.
6. Jordan, Felicia (May 16, 2025). "'I am simply not that important' | AG Dave Yost suspends his campaign to be Ohio's governor". WCPO-TV . Retrieved May 16, 2025.
7. Nir, David; Singer, Jeff (March 17, 2025). "Morning Digest, sponsored by Liftoff Campaigns: The Democratic plan to win back one of Pennsylvania's swingiest counties". The Downballot. Retrieved August 1, 2025. Republican Rep. Warren Davidson has endorsed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign for Ohio's open governorship, ending what little talk there'd been that the congressman might seek the post.
8. Krieg, Daniel Strauss, Gregory (January 17, 2025). "DeWine expected to name state Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill Senate seat vacated by Vance". CNN . Retrieved January 17, 2025. Pressed on his previous interest in being governor, and the decision to accept the appointment to the US Senate, Husted said he 'switched my mind probably 100 times.'
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30. Ehrmantraut, Amanda. "Ohio Chamber of Commerce PAC Endorses Vivek Ramaswamy in the 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election" (PDF). Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
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53. "Former Mayor of Dayton Nan Whaley Endorses Dr. Amy Acton for Governor". Circleville Herald . August 21, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
54. "'From Youngstown kid to another,' TV star Ed O'Neill endorses Amy Acton for Ohio governor". WSYX . August 27, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
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