2026 statewide field shaping up

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s secretary of state, who is term limited from running for that office again in 2026, announced on Thursday that he will be seeking the office of Ohio auditor in the next statewide election.

Republican Frank LaRose, 45, was elected as secretary of state in 2018 and reelected to the position in 2022.

He ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, but lost a Republican primary to JD Vance.

Speculation had centered around LaRose this year, as many considered him a possible candidate for Ohio governor, when incumbent Mike DeWine vacates the office after 2026. DeWine has signaled he will retire from politics after his tenure is over.

2026 will see a complete turnover of statewide officeholders.

Ohio Attorney General David Yost, who is also term limited from re-election, has announced his plans to run for governor in 2026 in the Republican primary. Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague had previously announced a gubernatorial run, but switched his candidacy to the Republican primary for state auditor. Sprague said he would back businessman and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for governor, if he runs, as is expected.

The current state auditor, Republican Keith Faber, also term limited from re-election, has announced he will run to succeed Yost as attorney general.

Ohio’s former lieutenant governor, John Husted, once considered the likeliest successor to DeWine, was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat of Vance, when he was elected as U.S. vice president.

On the Democratic side, former Ohio Department of Health director Amy Acton has announced a run for governor, while Warren County doctor Brian Hambley has announced a run for secretary of state.

Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who lost his re-election bid in 2024 to Republican Bernie Moreno, has not announced future plans, but is considered by political observers to be a possible candidate for statewide office or an opponent to Husted in 2026.