COLUMBUS, Ohio — Despite Ohio only having one candidate per party receiving widespread support, many decisions still need to be made ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial race.
Ohio Republicans continue to rally behind their candidate for governor.
"It's now Ohio's turn to lead the way," Ramaswamy said during an event he hosted with U.S. Senator Jon Husted in Columbus Monday evening.
More than a year before the November 2026 election, and months before the primary, Ramaswamy has continued clearing the path as he tries to succeed Gov. Mike DeWine.
Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, who previously expressed interest in running for governor, bowed out Friday.
“I believe that our crucial opportunities in the areas of education and workforce deserve my full attention for the remainder of our term,” Tressel wrote on social media.
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That leaves Ramaswamy as the only candidate in the Republican primary race with widespread support. Now, he has laid out his priorities, which include making Ohio more attractive to people, eliminating the income tax, and promoting economic and educational development.
"It is a top goal for me to make sure that our young people actually remain in this state rather than moving out to pursue opportunity elsewhere," Ramaswamy said.
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On the Democratic side, COVID-era health director Amy Acton remains the biggest name candidate in the race.
"I will always be focused on Ohioans and whatever it takes to move them forward and solve the issues that affect their everyday lives," she told me in an interview last month.
But former Congressman Tim Ryan has been floating a run for governor, with his team saying he would decide by the end of September.
"Morgan, I am not one for hypotheticals," Acton said during her interview with me after I asked about Ryan. "We're very, very excited by how we've been received, certainly, setting records for any Democratic candidate."
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While the Democrats figure out their candidate, the next step for Ramaswamy is to choose his second-in-command. He left an event on Monday without taking questions from reporters, but he’s previously told us he will be working with the legislature for all of his policy ideas.
"That's the type of leadership we need to build upon the foundation that we've already set in this state to make us not just the best in the Midwest, but the best in the entire country," Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) told me after the event.
Strategists have continued to suggest McColley could be Ramaswamy's running mate because he can navigate the lawmakers.
"Do you think with, obviously your role in leadership, that you would be the best fit for that?" I asked McColley.
"Well, that's ultimately up to his decision to make... My enthusiasm is behind him no matter what as a candidate because he has the ability to have that bold, transformative leadership that's going to take this state to the next level," he responded.
The only other names consistently mentioned by strategists are Treasurer Robert Sprague, Secretary of State Frank Larose, state Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), and former state Rep. Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville). Sprague is running for secretary of state, LaRose is running for auditor, and both Roegner and Edwards are running for treasurer.
Of the five, McColley was the only one to attend the event on Monday. We asked each of the others why they weren't at the event, what their priorities would be as lieutenant governor and if they had been communicating with Ramaswamy's team.
Sprague's team declined to answer the questions but said he had a scheduling conflict. Neither LaRose nor Edwards replied.
“I am honored that my name has been mentioned," Roegner said. "I have great confidence in Vivek’s leadership and look forward to his governorship. While speculation may continue, my full commitment right now is to winning the Treasurer of State office.”
McColley, although he hasn't announced that he is running for another position due to being term-limited in the Senate, has another option to weigh.
I asked him about running for Congress, as strategists from D.C. have said he is being courted to run for District 9 against longtime Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
"You love asking speculative questions that are based off of rumors and innuendo and everything like that," he said, smiling. "I suppose it's your job to do that, but I don't really have any comment on any of that. I, at this point, have kind of told people, 'Look, I've got to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I don't know what that's going to be. I might just go back and be a lawyer in Northwest Ohio. We'll see what it looks like, but it's just been a pleasure to serve in the Ohio Senate as president, and we'll see what the future holds."
Gubernatorial teams need to be announced by February.
Other candidates who have started campaigning for governor include Republican Philip Funderburg, Democrat Jacob Chiara, and independent Tim Grady. Heather Hill had previously announced she would run as a Republican, but later stated she would run as either a Libertarian, an independent, or a member of Elon Musk's America Party — a party that is not yet recognized in Ohio.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
