Ohio’s attorney general and a former state senator have officially submitted their names for top positions in state government.
Attorney General Dave Yost is expected to run for governor, but on Thursday he released an official statement saying he was “answering the call to serve” after an “outpouring of support” from Ohio voters.
“I will be faithful. “I will not falter or fail,” Yost said in a statement announcing his candidacy to succeed Republican Gov. Mike DeWine when his term ends in 2026.
The statement touted Yost as “the America First attorney general supporting President Trump’s agenda at the state level.” He also noted the public corruption scandal involving First Energy (though he did not name the company) as a “pioneering case… reinforcing his commitment to transparent and accountable governance.”
“Defended policies that protect girls’ sports and protect minors from irreversible gender reassignment surgery, thereby protecting future generations of Ohioans,” the statement added, referring to lawsuits against laws banning gender-affirming guardianship of minors and preventing transgender students from participating in sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
Yost has served as Ohio’s attorney general since 2018, re-elected in 2022. Prior to joining the AG, Yost was state auditor and Delaware County prosecutor.
Yost’s opponents will include former Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Amy Acton, who has already announced her candidacy for the top job on the Democratic Party ticket. Republican state treasurer Robert Sprague has filed paperwork to run for governor, and Ohio native and short-lived co-chairman of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency Vivek Ramaswamy has also reportedly expressed interest in running.
Secretary of State
Fresh from a stint representing the 6th District, former Republican state senator Niraj Antani announced his plans to run for Ohio Secretary of State as incumbent SOS Frank LaRose leaves office due to term limits.
Published by the state’s first Indian American Indian senator ad on X saying that he understands “we must cherish the fact that we are born free people, born with the right to vote.”
“It is a sacred institution; our voices must be protected, protected and secured,” Antani said in a statement. “As Ohio’s next secretary of state, that’s exactly what I will do.”
If elected, he will join a list that includes former lieutenant governor and now U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner, former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and former Gov. Bob Taft.
Another candidate for Ohio Secretary of State, Warren County oncologist Bryan Hambley, released a statement after Antani’s announcement saying that “from day one, (Antani) has wanted to make it harder to vote.”
Antani was one of the few Republicans in the Ohio Senate who introduced bills requiring proof of citizenship to vote. Antani’s bill required proof of citizenship and updated voter registration, while state Sens. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, and Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, wanted to see proof of citizenship and eliminate drop boxes in all 88 Ohio counties.
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