The 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next

governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. Incumbent Republican governor

Mike DeWine Richard Michael DeWine ( ; born January 5, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 70th List of governors of Ohio, governor of Ohio since 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served a ...

is term-limited and ineligible to seek a third consecutive term. The winner of the election will be inaugurated on January 11, 2027.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

*Heather Hill, former president of the Morgan County School Board *

Vivek Ramaswamy Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy (born August 9, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and politician. He founded Roivant Sciences, a Biotechnology, biotech Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical company in 2014 and was its Chief executive officer, CEO ...

, former CEO of

Roivant Sciences Roivant Sciences Ltd. is an American multinational healthcare company focused on applying technology to drug development and building subsidiary life sciences and health technology companies. It was founded in 2014 by Vivek Ramaswamy and is cur ...

(2014–2021) and candidate for president in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Publicly expressed interest

Jim Tressel James Patrick Tressel (born December 5, 1952) is an American politician and retired college football coach who has served as the 67th lieutenant governor of Ohio since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, Tressel previously was the president ...

Lieutenant Governor of Ohio The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes Governor of Ohio, governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed via impeachment conviction. Before 1852, the president of the Oh ...

(2025–present)

Potential

* Mike Carey,

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Ohio’s 15th congressional district (2021–present)

Withdrawn

*Matt Mayer, former director of the Buckeye Institute * Robert Sprague,

Ohio state treasurer The treasurer of the U.S. state of Ohio is responsible for collecting and safeguarding taxes and fees, as well as managing state investments. The Treasury was located in the Ohio Statehouse from 1861 to 1974, when it was moved to the Rhodes Stat ...

(2019–present) ''(endorsed Ramaswamy, running for secretary of state)'' * Dave Yost,

Ohio attorney general The Ohio attorney general is the chief legal officer of the state of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio attorney general is Republican Dave Yost. History The office of the att ...

(2019–present) and former

Ohio state auditor The Ohio state auditor (formally known as the auditor of state) is responsible for auditing all the public offices of the state of Ohio. The auditor is elected to a four-year term. The current auditor is Keith Faber. References External li ...

(2011–2019)

Declined

Warren Davidson Warren Earl Davidson (born March 1, 1970) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Ohio's 8th congressional district since 2016. The district includes a s ...

from Ohio’s 8th congressional district (2016–present) ''(endorsed Ramaswamy)'' *

Jon Husted Jon Allen Husted ( ; born August 25, 1967) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Ohio since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, Husted served as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio from 2019 to 2025 an ...

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

(2025–present) and candidate for governor in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

('' running for U.S. Senate)'' *

Frank LaRose Frank LaRose (born April 18, 1979) is an American politician who has served as the 51st Ohio Secretary of State, secretary of state of Ohio since January 2019. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he was member of the Ohio State Senate ...

Ohio secretary of state The secretary of state of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the state of Ohio. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corp ...

(2019–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in

''(running for state auditor, endorsed Ramaswamy)''

Endorsements

Polling

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

* Amy Acton, former director of the

Ohio Department of Health The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for coordinating activities for child and family health services, children with medical handicaps, early intervention services, nutritio ...

(2019–2020)

Publicly expressed interest

Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell Brown ( ; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2007 and the 47t ...

, former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

(2007–2025) * Chris Redfern, former

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

(1999–2002, 2003–2008, 2013–2014) and former chair of the

Ohio Democratic Party The Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Ohio. Former state representative Kathleen Clyde has been the party's chairwoman since June 2025. Statewide, the Democrats currently are viewed as th ...

(2005–2014) * Tim Ryan, former

(2003–2023), nominee for U.S. Senate in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, and candidate for president in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

''(decision expected in summer 2025)''

Potential

* Allison Russo, Minority Leader of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

(2022–present) and nominee for in the 2021 special election

Declined

Shontel Brown Shontel Monique Brown (born June 24, 1975) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Ohio's 11th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Brown pre ...

from (2021-present) *

Greg Landsman Gregory John Landsman (born December 4, 1976) is an American politician who has been the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from since 2023. The district is based in Cincinnati, and includes most of its inner suburbs. A ...

from (2023–present) ''(running for re-election)'' *

Emilia Sykes Emilia Strong Sykes (born January 4, 1986) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...

from (2023–present)

Polling

General election

Predictions

Polling

Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Amy Acton
Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Tim Ryan
Dave Yost vs. Amy Acton
Dave Yost vs. Tim Ryan
Jim Tressel vs. Amy Acton
Jim Tressel vs. Tim Ryan

Notes

Partisan clients

External links

Official campaign websites
Amy Acton (D) for governorHeather Hill (R) for governorVivek Ramaswamy (R) for governorDave Yost (R) for governor

References

{{2026 United States elections Ohio gubernatorial elections

Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

Polling

General election

Predictions

Polling

See also

Notes

External links

References