Dr. Amy Acton (left), the 2026 Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, and her running mate David Pepper (right), former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. (Left photo: WEWS, right photo shared.)
David Pepper, former Ohio Democratic chairman, has been selected as Dr. Amy Acton’s running mate in the 2026 governor’s race.
Both Democratic and Republican strategists predicted that Pepper, a lawyer from Cincinnati, Ohio, would be Acton’s running mate.
“I am proud to choose David Pepper as my lieutenant governor. We both have a lifelong commitment to fighting for Ohio’s working families and making our state a more affordable place to live for all of us. David is an innovative and pragmatic leader who has been focused on delivering for Ohioans throughout his career, from lowering the property tax rate for Cincinnatians to eliminating foreclosures during the 2008 recession.” Acton said in a statement.
“I am thrilled to have David at my side in the fight to lower costs, fight corruption and special interests, and ensure that every family in Ohio can thrive and enjoy the quality of life we all deserve.”
Pepper, 54, has been supporting Acton, 59, for years. In our coverage of her campaign, Pepper was a Democratic strategist rooting for her.
“Someone who had no political experience built such a huge base in such a short period of time and it’s only growing,” Pepper said in July.
He too defended Acton’s work during the pandemic in 2020.
Pepper served for years as a member of the Cincinnati City Council and the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners.
While on the commission, he helped cut spending by $60 million, according to the campaign. He introduced a prescription drug discount program in Hamilton County, helped create a foreclosure prevention program and led an income tax relief initiative.
During his tenure on the Council, he focused on affordability and public safety.
“I am humbled and honored to join Amy’s candidacy and work with her to fight for the good of Ohio’s working families. Amy is the only candidate in this race who will tackle our affordability crisis and work to lower costs, fight corruption and invest in our public schools so that we can finally put working families first, not billionaires or special interests,” Pepper said in a statement.
“While our adversary flies around our state in a private jet and moves his company from Cincinnati to Texas, we are working to solve the affordability crisis and create an Ohio where we can all get ahead.”
Pepper is a well-known name in Ohio politics, and part of the reason is his outspoken nature. His X account boasts almost 110,000 followers. He also wrote several books on democracy.
Other strategists have called him a significant political donor to Democratic causes.
“Ohio families are struggling to make ends meet, and Amy and David are the right choices to lower costs, fight the rampant corruption and special interests in our state, and ensure that every Ohio family can thrive. The Acton campaign is the only choice in this race to fight for Ohio and put our state first,” said Ted Strickland, former Ohio Governor.
Pepper background
He grew up in southwest Ohio, graduated from Yale University, and went on to law school at Yale.
Pepper and his wife live in Cincinnati with their two children.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau X AND Facebook.
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
