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(left) At Saturday afternoon’s COVID-19 briefing, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton holds up a protective mask, which are in short supply. Credit: Laura Hancock/cleveland.com via TNS (right) Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost at the 2024 State of the State address in Columbus. Credit: Joshua Gunter via TNS

Political leadership is shifting in the state of Ohio.

Since Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill Vice President J.D. Vance’s Ohio Senator seat until the November 2026 special election, questions have arisen surrounding other positions within the Ohio government — namely, who will succeed DeWine as governor Nov. 3, 2026.

The current list of potential candidates includes five Republicans and three Democrats, all of whom have either officially declared their candidacy or expressed public interest in running for the position.

Dave Yost (R)

Though he had been vocal about his interest in the position for months, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost officially announced his bid for Ohio governor via a Thursday X post.

Yost previously served as the Delaware County auditor and the county’s prosecutor, before he was elected as Ohio’s auditor in 2010, and as attorney general in 2018.

The attorney general describes himself as a “principled conservative leader” and a strong advocate for Ohio’s families, businesses and taxpayers, according to his campaign website.

Yost plans to run on a platform of conservative values, including advocating for Second Amendment rights, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and “defending Ohio’s pro-life laws.”

Dr. Amy Acton (D)

From 2019-20, Acton served as director of the Ohio Department of Public Health, acting as a prominent leadership figure for Ohioans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. After resigning from this position in June 2020, Acton became DeWine’s chief health advisor, before stepping down from that role two months later.

Acton filed formal paperwork and initiated her gubernatorial campaign Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Despite working closely with DeWine for years, Acton intends to run as a Democrat.

According to her campaign website, Acton “put her partisanship aside” when asked by DeWine to serve as Ohio Department of Public Health director, as she believes Democrats and Republicans need to come together to overcome challenges.

After her resignation in 2020, Acton founded The Columbus Foundation’s Center for HumanKindness and launched Rapid 5, an Ohio-focused nonprofit dedicated to promoting health and wellness.

Robert Sprague (R)

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague filed formal paperwork Friday to indicate his interest in running for Ohio governor, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

Sprague, a former state Representative and Ohio’s treasurer since 2019, took to X Friday to say he “[looks] forward to sharing [his] vision for the state of Ohio in the weeks ahead.”

The treasurer promotes “empowering families through sound financial policy and investment,” focusing his campaign on “fiscal conservatism” to provide economic stability for local small business owners and the broader state of Ohio, according to his campaign website.

Heather Hill (R)

Hill, former Morgan County Local Board of Education president, indicated her interest in running for Ohio governor in October 2024, according to her X account.

Hill is an Appalachian-born entrepreneur and was the first woman of color elected in Morgan County. In 2023, she was appointed by DeWine to serve on the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission.

She “stands behind the saying ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps,’” advocates for pro-Second Amendment legislation, promotes that “women and girls should be the champions of their own sports” and hopes to make Ohio an “industrial and economic hub,” according to her campaign website.

Vivek Ramaswamy (R)

Ramaswamy has been a prominent political figure in Ohio and across the country during the 2024 election cycle.

The biotech entrepreneur was formerly vying for the presidential ticket, but he dropped out of the Republican primary against President Donald Trump following the Iowa Caucus Jan. 14, 2024.

Ramaswamy went on to endorse Trump, and was poised to join Elon Musk in running the newfound Department of Government Efficiency — an external advising group, not a real government agency — until he left the position in hopes of being chosen by DeWine to take over Vance’s vacant Senate seat, according to the Associated Press.

After losing out once again, this time to Husted, Ramaswamy is expected to announce his bid for the gubernatorial race next week, according to NBC News.

Hailing from Cincinnati, Ramaswamy is a regular among alt-right circles, including Turning Point USA — a conservative youth activist organization.

Ramaswamy visited the university with the group Oct. 16, 2024, as part of the “You’re Being Brainwashed Tour,” during which he identified three points of “woke poison” — “puzzles of race wokeism,” “LGBTQ Identity” and the “climate change agenda movement,” according to prior Lantern reporting.

Other rumored candidates

The following candidates have not formally indicated interest in the Ohio governor position, but ongoing speculation has suggested that such individuals might throw their hats in the ring soon.

Tim Ryan, a former Representative of Ohio’s 13th District from 2003-23, was previously defeated by Vance during the 2022 Ohio Senate race. Ryan — who was formerly opposed to running for office in 2026 —  said he was “keeping [his] options open” following Trump’s election, according to Signal Cleveland.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-D) has also been speculated to join the race, as he said he would “not rule out” running for Senate or Ohio governor, according to POLITICO. In 2024, Brown lost his Senate seat in a heated contest against newcomer Sen. Bernie Moreno (OH-R) in what became the most expensive Senate race in the country, per prior Lantern reporting.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is another prominent Republican politician who might consider running for the position, according to WTVG in Toledo.

Finally, Chris Redfern (OH-D) — a former Ohio Representative and past chair of the Ohio Democratic Party — has been out of politics for years, but indicated interest in returning to the field “whether it’s for governor or downticket,” according to The Plain Dealer.