Another term-limited Republican officeholder has announced his plans for 2026, as Ohio’s statewide races continue to take shape. But there’s still one big name that hasn’t made an official move yet.
It looked like Treasurer Robert Sprague was considering a run for governor, but he’s out of that race now, and threw his support behind a candidate not in the race yet – but could be later this month.
“There's one man that shares this vision of turning our state around and creating a renaissance in the state of Ohio. And that man is Vivek Ramaswamy," Sprague said in a video on X.
Sprague announced he’s running for secretary of state – which former lawmaker Niraj Antani declared for late last month and Sen. Theresa Gavarone was said to be interested in.
Sprague’s fellow statewide executive officeholder, Attorney General Dave Yost, is also running for governor, and has been endorsed by former secretary of state Ken Blackwell. The current occupant of that office, Frank LaRose, hasn’t announced his intentions.
Auditor and treasurer don’t have declared Republican candidates yet.
So far, there are two announced Democratic candidates. Dr. Amy Acton, DeWine's first director of the Ohio Department of Health, is running for governor. Dr. Bryan Hambley, an oncologist from Cincinnati, is running for secretary of state.
Republicans have dominated the statewide offices for decades.
