Ohio’s Republican attorney general suspends his governor bid against a Trump-backed candidate

By JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost suspended his campaign for governor on Friday, just a week after he lost the state Republican Party’s endorsement to Trump-backed biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy.

In an email to supporters, Yost pledged to continue to fight for the state as attorney general until the end of his term in January 2027.

Yost, 68, did not immediately endorse his chief rival, after last week suggesting the state GOP had engaged in “a premature coronation of an untested candidate.” However, he hinted at realizing he was at an increasing disadvantage.

While praising the people of Ohio, he said it had become “apparent that a steep climb to the nomination for governor has become a vertical cliff. I do not wish to divide my political party or my state with a quixotic battle over the small differences between my vision and that of my opponent. I am simply not that important.”

Ramaswamy struck a supportive tone about the news.

“Congratulations to Dave on running a thoughtful campaign,” he said in a statement. “He has served Ohio with great dedication, and I am confident he will continue to play an important role in shaping the future of our state and our nation.”

It was not immediately clear where Yost’s political career would go next, though. He will be too old to run for the Ohio Supreme Court seat that’s up next year, where age limits are in place. He told supporters, however, that he will keep serving Ohioans “perhaps for quite a while yet.”

For Ramaswamy, the former co-chair of the president’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative who sought the GOP nomination for president in 2024, it represents another positive development in his fast-paced campaign to lock in the lead for the state’s top political office.

In a state that strongly supported Trump three times, Ramaswamy’s close relationship with the president has translated into packed crowds at county Lincoln Day dinners and a successful push for the state GOP’s state central committee to endorse him over Yost and Appalachian entrepreneur Heather Hill nearly a year before the primary.

Hill said Ohio Republicans should be outraged at the state party’s “blatant disregard for our rights to select our next governor.”

“My heart goes out to the Republican candidates who feel forced to drop out of the race due to the RNC/GOP’s unfair bias towards one candidate,” she said in a statement. “I want to reassure Ohioans that I will not give up. I will fight tirelessly every day to ensure my name is heard and that I prioritize the best interests of all Ohioans.”

Despite the early endorsement, the Republican gubernatorial field still may not be set. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a popular former Ohio State football coach, said last week that he hasn’t ruled running. The filing deadline for the race is Feb. 4.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term-limited, pointed out that the nearly a year before the primary is a “lifetime” in politics. He picked Tressel after appointing the presumptive frontrunner to succeed him as governor, former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, to serve the remainder of Vice President JD Vance’s Senate term.

Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director who helped lead Ohio through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the only announced Democrat in the race.

She chose to attack Ramaswamy’s positions on a host of issues in her statement Friday, making no reference to Yost.

“As Governor I’ll fight for Ohioans who are struggling due to decades of billionaire special interests like Vivek running our state,” she said.

Yost also failed to mention Acton in his email. He did say, however, that former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is in the midst of a “comeback attempt” that represents “a real and present danger to Ohio’s prosperity.”

“Sherrod Brown and the risky progressive ideas of his party will unwind all of the good that the last 15 years of Republican leadership has brought,” he wrote. “This is a time to protect Ohio, not a time for a family squabble.” Brown had no immediate comment.

Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Katie Seewer said Yost referencing Brown just shows that Republicans believe Democrats will be a threat next year.

She said of Yost’s withdrawal: “At least he’s doing what’s best for Ohio.”