Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)
Ohio’s attorney general and a former state senator have officially put their names in for top jobs in state government.
Attorney General Dave Yost has been expected to run for governor, but Thursday he made the official announcement, saying he was “answering the call to duty” after a “groundswell of support” from Ohio voters.
“I will be faithful. I will not falter and I will not fail,” Yost said in a statement announcing his bid to take over for Republican Gov. Mike DeWine when his tenure ends in 2026.
The announcement touted Yost as an “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 responsible governance.”
“He has defended policies that protect girls’ sports and shield minors from irreversible gender transition surgeries, safeguarding Ohio’s future generations,” the statement added, referring to lawsuits against legislation to ban gender-affirming care for minors and to keep transgender students from participating with sports teams that align with their gender identity.
Yost has been Attorney General in Ohio since 2018, re-elected in 2022. Before serving at AG, Yost was Auditor of State and prosecuting attorney for Delaware County.
Yost’s opponents will include former Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Amy Acton, who previously announced her candidacy for the top job on the Democratic ticket. Republican State Treasurer Robert Sprague has filed paperwork to run for governor, and Ohioan and short-lived co-chair of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, Vivek Ramaswamy, has also reportedly shown interest in a run.
Secretary of State
Fresh off a stint representing the 6th district, former Republican state Sen. Niraj Antani announced his plans to run for Ohio Secretary of State as incumbent SOS Frank LaRose leaves the office due to term limits.
The state’s first Indian American and Hindu state senator posted an announcement on X saying he understands “we must cherish that we were born free people, born with the right to vote.”
“This is a sacred institution; our vote must be protected, safeguarded, secured,” Antani wrote in the statement. “As Ohio’s next Secretary of State, I will do just that.”
If elected, he would 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 Governor Bob Taft.
Fellow candidate for Ohio Secretary of State, Warren County oncologist Bryan Hambley, released a statement following Antani’s announcement, saying “from day one, (Antani) wants to make it harder to vote.”
Antani was one of a few Republicans in the Ohio Senate who introduced bills requiring proof of citizenship to vote. Antani’s bill required proof of citizenship and updating of 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 of Ohio’s counties.
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