Ohio’s attorney general touted his fundraising haul before next year’s gubernatorial race, but a new entrant may soon overshadow his success thus far.
Ohio Attorney General reported raising more than $1 million in the second half of 2024. Yost said he now has nearly $2.5 million in his campaign account.
“This is just exhilarating,” Yost said in a release claiming his record of supporting President Donald Trump’s policies at the state level resonates with Ohioans. “I’m overwhelmed by the encouragement and broad support I’ve received from every corner of the state. I want to say a heartfelt ‘Thank you!’ to everyone who has given to our American First campaign.”
However, signs that Cincinnati native and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will soon join the race seem to grow daily.
Fellow entrepreneur Elon Musk added fuel to the fire when he signed off a DOGECAST podcast by referring to Ramaswamy as “governor.” Ramaswamy did nothing to stem the speculation, responding, “That's the kind of direction we are going in.”
Trump appointed Ramaswamy and Musk to lead the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, focusing on cutting wasteful spending and eliminating excessive regulations. However, Ramaswamy stepped away from DOGE, sparking speculation that he may soon enter the race for Ohio’s top elected office.
If Ramaswamy, a Republican, “runs for governor of Ohio (and I hope he does) he will not only win—he will transform Ohio for the better,” Republican Utah U.S. Sen. Mike Lee said in a post to X. “The results will benefit Ohioans—and Americans—for generations.”
Ramaswamy was previously seen as a potential pick for the U.S. Senate seat Vice President J.D. Vance vacated. He purportedly met with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine about the vacancy, but the governor tapped Lt. Governor Jon Husted to fill the seat.
Ramaswamy was also linked to a 2022 U.S. Senate run—the election Vance won—but he did not enter the race.
The gubernatorial race should be a high-profile affair with Ramaswamy’s potential run and the announcement that Dr. Amy Acton, the controversial former state health director during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is running for governor as a Democrat.
Acton might need to navigate a crowded Democratic primary, possibly including Ohio House of Representatives Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan. On the Republican side, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Treasurer Robert Sprague are other potential candidates who might join the race.
Acton is pitching herself as a political outsider in her bid to become Ohio’s first Democratic governor in two decades.
“But I will tell you this: Ohioans need a plan,” Acton told NBC4 WCMH-TV. “I am a very hopeful person. I’ve lived through a lot of hardship in my own life. I’ve experienced a lot of the struggles that Ohioans are experiencing. But we define hope in my team as optimism plus a plan.”
Acton is pitching herself as a political outsider in her bid to become Ohio’s first Democratic governor in two decades. However, she was a divisive figure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She appeared beside the Republican governor for media briefings, which helped raise her profile. However, many Ohioans criticized her actions as heavy-handed.
At one point, protestors assembled outside her Columbus-area house to oppose her actions. Additionally, Ohio lawmakers filed legislation to reduce her power to issue orders.
“There was a real pressure on the governor and on me to sign orders. And this one order in particular was the final straw for me. It was to open the fairs,” Acton told the television station. “We were just, if you remember, beginning to open businesses and finally stabilizing our hospitals. And it was pressure for fairs to be opened in a way that there was no science for.”
