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

• Heather Hill, former president of the Morgan County School Board ^[2]
• Vivek Ramaswamy, former CEO of Roivant Sciences (2014–2023) and candidate for president in 2024 ^[3]
• Dave Yost, Ohio attorney general (2019–present) and former Ohio state auditor (2011–2019) ^[4]

Potential

• Mike Carey, U.S. representative from Ohio’s 15th congressional district (2021–present) ^[5]
• Jim Tressel, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (2025–present) ^[6]

Withdrawn

• Matt Mayer, former director of the Buckeye Institute ^[7]
• Robert Sprague, Ohio state treasurer (2019–present) (endorsed Ramaswamy, running for secretary of state) ^[8]
• Jeremiah Workman, veterans affairs claims assistant and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2022 ^{[9] [ failed verification ]}

Declined

• Warren Davidson, U.S. representative from Ohio’s 8th congressional district (2016–present) (endorsed Ramaswamy) ^[10]
• Jon Husted, U.S. senator (2025–present) and candidate for governor in 2018 ^[11]
• Frank LaRose, Ohio secretary of state (2019–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024 (running for state auditor, ^[12] endorsed Ramaswamy) ^[13]

Endorsements

Vivek Ramaswamy

U.S. Executive Branch officials

• Donald Trump, 45th & 47th President of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present) ^[14]
• Elon Musk, Senior Advisor to the President (2025–present) ^[14]

U.S. Senators

• Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee (2019–present) ^[15]
• Mike Lee, Utah (2011–present) ^[15]
• Bernie Moreno, Ohio (2025–present) ^[16]
• Rick Scott, Florida (2019–present) ^[17]

U.S. Representatives

• Warren Davidson, OH-08 (2016–present) ^[18]

Statewide officials

• Frank LaRose, Ohio secretary of state (2019–present) ^[13]
• Robert Sprague, Ohio state treasurer (2019–present) ^[8]

State legislators

• 15 state senators, ^[16] including Senate President Rob McColley ^[19]

Local officials

• 20 county sheriffs ^[16]

Individuals

• Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue ^[20]
• Jake Paul, boxer and YouTuber ^[21]

Dave Yost

Statewide officials

• Ken Blackwell, former Ohio secretary of state (1999–2007) ^[22]

Local officials

• 30 county sheriffs ^[23]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Heather Hill	Vivek Ramaswamy	Dave Yost	Other	Undecided
Bowling Green State University & YouGov [24]	February 14–21, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.0%	9%	61%	24%	–	9%
	February 25, 2025	Ramaswamy declares his candidacy
National Public Affairs (R) [25] [A]	February 2–5, 2025	602 (RV)	± 4.0%	–	46%	18%	2% [b]	34%
WPA Intelligence (R) [26] [B]	January 28–30, 2025	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	–	57%	26%	6% [c]	10%
Fabrizio, Lee & Associates (R) [27] [C]	January 26–27, 2025	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	–	52%	18%	3% [d]	27%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Amy Acton, former director of the Ohio Department of Health (2019–2020) ^[28]

Publicly expressed interest

• Chris Redfern, former state representative (1999–2002, 2003–2008, 2013–2014) and former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party (2005–2014) ^[29]
• Tim Ryan, former U.S. representative (2003–2023) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2022 ^[30]

Potential

• Sherrod Brown, former U.S. senator (2007–2025) ^[31]
• Greg Landsman, U.S. representative from Ohio's 1st congressional district (2023–present) ^[32]
• Allison Russo, Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives (2022–present) and nominee for Ohio's 15th congressional district in the 2021 special election ^[33]
• Emilia Sykes, U.S. representative from Ohio's 13th congressional district (2023–present) ^[32]

Polling

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Amy Acton	Sherrod Brown	Tim Ryan	Undecided
Bowling Green State University & YouGov [24]	February 14–21, 2025	800 (RV)	± 4.0%	20%	59%	17%	4%
				46%	–	45%	9%

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [34]	Likely R	January 23, 2025
Inside Elections [35]	Solid R	February 6, 2025

Polling

Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Amy Acton

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Vivek Ramaswamy (R)	Amy Acton (D)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (D) [36] [D]	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	Margin of error	Vivek Ramaswamy (R)	Tim Ryan (D)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (D) [36] [D]	February 19–20, 2025	642 (RV)	± 3.9%	48%	42%	10%

See also

• 2026 United States gubernatorial elections

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. Robert Sprague and Jeremiah Workman with 1%
3. Robert Sprague with 6%
4. Robert Sprague with 2%; Jeremiah Workman with 1%

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by Dave Yost
2. Poll sponsored by Club for Growth
3. Poll sponsored by Vivek Ramaswamy
4. 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
• Heather Hill (R) for governor
• Vivek Ramaswamy (R) for governor
• Dave Yost (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. "Hill begins 2026 bid for Ohio Governor". Morgan County Herald. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
3. Smyth, Julie Carr (February 24, 2025). "Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy joins the Ohio governor's race". The Associated Press . Retrieved February 24, 2025.
4. Vakil, Caroline (January 23, 2025). "Ohio AG Dave Yost launches bid for governor". The Hill . Retrieved January 23, 2025.
5. Zanona, Melanie; Soellner, Mica (January 23, 2025). "Lawmakers have their eyes on governors' mansions". Punchbowl News . Retrieved January 24, 2025.
6. Rees, David (February 10, 2025). "Gov. DeWine picks former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel as lieutenant governor". WDTN . Retrieved February 10, 2025. During Monday's press conference, Tressel did not rule out jumping into the 2026 race for the governor's mansion
7. Pelzer, Jeremy (September 25, 2023). "Ohio Republican bows out of 2026 governor's race". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved October 2, 2023.
8. 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.
9. Pelzer, Jeremy (March 28, 2023). "Jeremiah Workman, Joe Blystone's 2022 running mate, launches 2026 run for governor". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved May 28, 2023.
10. Nir, David; Singer, Keff (March 17, 2025). "Morning Digest, sponsored by Liftoff Campaigns: The Democratic plan to win back one of Pennsylvania's swingiest counties". The Downballot. Retrieved March 17, 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.
11. 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.'
12. Smyth, Julie Carr (February 6, 2025). "Ohio elections chief Frank LaRose will run for state auditor in 2026". Associated Press . Retrieved February 6, 2025.
13. Trau, Morgan (February 12, 2025). "From gridiron to Statehouse: Could Jim Tressel shake up the Buckeye State's 2026 gubernatorial election". WEWS-TV . Retrieved February 12, 2025.
14. Ashleigh, Fields (February 25, 2025). "Trump, Musk endorse Ramaswamy in Ohio governor's race". The Hill . Retrieved February 26, 2025.
15. Nitzberg, Alex (February 4, 2025). "Senators back Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor ahead of expected gubernatorial bid". Fox News . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
16. Kasler, Karen (March 24, 2025). "Moreno, state senators add to list of endorsements for Ramaswamy over Yost for Ohio governor". WYSO. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
17. Costeines, Michael (January 28, 2025). "Rick Scott Endorses Vivek Ramaswamy's Expected Run for Ohio Governor". The Floridian. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
18. Windsor, Jack (March 14, 2025). "Vivek Ramaswamy scores another endorsement in bid for Ohio governor". The Ohio Press Network. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
19. McColley, Rob (March 14, 2025). "To the editor: Ohio needs bold leadership; that's why I'm for Ramaswamy". Toledo Blade . Retrieved March 14, 2025.
20. Balmert, Jessie (March 6, 2025). "Ohio Christian leader endorses Hindu Vivek Ramaswamy over AG Dave Yost for governor". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Retrieved March 6, 2025.
21. Jocelyn Fernandes (February 25, 2025). "Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio Governor bid: Elon Musk wishes 'good luck, full endorsement', Donald Trump says 'SPECIAL'". mint. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
22. "Blackwell endorses Yost in Ohio governor's race". The Crescent-News. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
23. Jeremy Pelzer (March 3, 2025). "Ramaswamy, Yost split Ohio sheriff endorsements in 2026 Republican governor's race". Cleveland.com . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
24. Fortinsky, Sarah (March 4, 2025). "Ohio governor's race poll: Ramaswamy a favorite, Sherrod Brown has strong backing". The Hill . Retrieved March 13, 2025.
25. Clark, Justin (February 18, 2025). "National Public Affairs Polling - 2026 Ohio Governor Republican Primary Research" (PDF). National Public Affairs. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
26. Allen, Bryon (February 3, 2025). "Recent WPA Intelligence Poll Shows Vivek Ramasway With a Commanding Lead in the Republican primary for Ohio Governor" (PDF). Club for Growth. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
27. Fabrizio, Tony (January 28, 2025). "Ramasway is the overwhelming frontrunner in GOP Race for Ohio governor". DocumentCloud. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
28. Buchanan, Tyler (January 7, 2025). "Acton announces run for Ohio governor". Axios . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
29. Pelzer, Jeremy (August 26, 2024). "Ex-Ohio Dems Chair Chris Redfern eyes 2026 run for statewide office". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved August 31, 2024.
30. Tobias, Andrew (November 14, 2024). "Democrat Tim Ryan open to 2026 election run; who's battling for Ohio House speaker". Signal Cleveland. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
31. Cohen, David (November 24, 2024). "Sherrod Brown won't rule out running for Senate again". Politico . Retrieved November 26, 2024.
32. Gonzales, Nathan (February 12, 2025). "House members running for governor could complicate fight for majority". Roll Call . Retrieved February 12, 2025.
33. Henry, Megan (January 7, 2025). "Dr. Amy Acton is running for Ohio governor". Ohio Capital Journal . Retrieved January 11, 2025. There is speculation about whether Ohio Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, will also run for governor.
34. "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
35. "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections . Retrieved February 7, 2025.
36. Williams, Jim (February 24, 2025). "Acton Leads Ramaswamy in Gubernatorial Matchup" (PDF). 314 Action. Retrieved February 25, 2025.