As Gov. Mike DeWine finishes up his second term, Ohio prepares for the gubernatorial race occurring in November 2026.
Multiple candidates in both major parties have already begun campaigning.
Vivek Ramaswamy is a Cincinnati native and the only Republican currently campaigning. He has received overwhelming support from the GOP and officials such as President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, according to the Vivek for Ohio Press Team.
Aiden Fox is a senior at Ohio University studying political science, who currently serves as the President of the OU Republicans. Fox has met Ramaswamy multiple times and discussed some of the candidate's policies that he supports.
“He talked a bit about natural resources, expanding our utilization of them as well. It's exploring the idea of nuclear power in Ohio, which I think could be potentially even stronger and safer than natural gas is, certainly more reliable than certain renewable resources,” Fox said. “He's also pressed very heavily on the idea of advancing Ohio's education.”
According to his campaign website, Ramaswamy wants to make Ohio a “state of excellence” where people from all over the country want to come to. He wants to cut red tape and regulations to grow the business sector. He also expressed embracing capitalism and meritocracy.
Fox discussed Gov. DeWine’s performance in his past two terms, saying many Republicans in Ohio were extremely pleased with his signing of Senate Bill 1 but had criticisms of his COVID-19 restrictions and failure to follow Trump's agenda.
On the Democratic front, Dr. Amy Acton is running and remains the leading figure for the party. Acton served as director of the Ohio Department of Health from 2019-20, leading the state’s charge against COVID-19.
Sammy Sherman, a freshman studying political science, said he likes Acton but has concerns that the Democratic Party should not have a candidate who embodies the COVID-19 era.
“I don’t think putting the face of COVID lockdowns on the ticket is a good idea for Democrats,” Sherman said. “Personally, I think she did a great job with handling COVID, but Ohio is a Republican state, and most Republicans in the state do not think she did a good job…people associate her with the COVID lockdowns, and they were not popular.”
Sherman said he would prefer to see former U.S. Representative Tim Ryan run. Ryan has publicly announced he is considering a run for Ohio governor.
Sherman discussed how Ryan could unite Democrats and Republicans in the state to secure the win.
“His entire 2022 Senate campaign was about working with Republicans,” Sherman said. “And I imagine if he does end up deciding to run for governor, that's what his campaign will be around, because there's no Democrat that can win Ohio without Republican votes.”
Sherman said younger Democrats are very concerned with redistricting in the state and the handling of immigration.
Sherman said he would like to see an independent redistricting commission and higher investment in infrastructure across the state if a Democrat were to win the Governor's seat in 2026.
According to Acton's campaign website, she believes in reproductive freedom and would support women’s right to abortion access. She also plans to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for Ohioans.
Regarding education, Acton wants to restore public school funding to a constitutional level, make the voucher system for private schools more transparent and use that money to invest in schools and education across the state.
The gubernatorial election will be held on Nov. 3, 2026.
