Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan, the ex-congressman who lost a Senate bid to JD Vance, won’t run for governor

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan said Friday that he has decided not to run for Ohio governor next year, eliminating the most significant hurdle to the nomination for former state health director Dr. Amy Acton.

Ryan, 52, had been considering a bid after fellow Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, his former college football coach and mentor, opted out of the race. The 10-term ex-congressman was expected to capitalize on the strong statewide recognition he garnered in his losing Senate bid against now-Vice President JD Vance in 2022.

“After careful consideration, much prayer and reflection, and after long conversations with my family, my closest friends and advisors, I’ve made the decision not to run for governor in 2026,” Ryan said in a statement.

Ryan’s decision is good news for Acton, who served as Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s state health director during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acton, 59, has been traveling the state since launching her campaign in January. She made clear in responding to Ryan’s deferral that she will focus her message against GOP- and Trump-endorsed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy on the economy.

“While the special interests that run our state are doing just fine, they’ve made a mess for the rest of us, and I will not allow a billionaire Washington insider like Vivek Ramaswamy take us down an even worse path,” she said in a statement. “I’m running for governor because it’s time for a change. Together, we can lower costs, give Ohioans a little breathing room, and build the Ohio we all deserve.”

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former co-chair of President Donald Trump’s DOGE initiative, consolidated Republican support quickly after launching his campaign in February, forcing Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a veteran politician, out of the race and deterring a bid by DeWine’s hand-picked lieutenant governor, former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel. DeWine helped clear his path by appointing the presumed frontrunner, then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, to Vance’s vacant Senate seat.

As of August, Ramaswamy held a massive cash advantage over Acton, reporting $9.7 million raised to Acton’s $1.35 million.

He and Acton seek to succeed DeWine, 78, who is term-limited. He and Acton acted as a team during the opening salvo of the coronavirus pandemic, appearing side-by-side each day during widely viewed television briefings. Acton was often the face of the administration’s sometimes aggressive actions to protect against the disease, including cancellation of Ohio’s 2020 presidential primary and statewide closures of gyms and fitness centers that a judge later called “oppressive.”

Those actions alienated a portion of the Ohio electorate, while reassuring a wide swath of the public and winning praise from other states.

Katie Seewer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party, said the party is energized by Ryan’s decision and ready to move full swing into electing Acton.