Ohio's political landscape just got more interesting
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) announced at a news conference that he has appointed former Ohio State head football coach and ex-Youngstown State University president Jim Tressel to fill the state's vacant Lt. Governor's position.
The office came open when the Governor appointed Jon Husted (R) to the US Senate to replace Vice President J.D. Vance. Immediately, reporters pummeled Mr. Tressel with questions regarding whether he would run for Governor next year, queries that both he and DeWine avoided answering.
In Ohio, the Lt. Governor runs on a ticket with the Governor. In 2018, during the open Republican primary, Mr. Husted, then Secretary of State, was competing against DeWine in the Republican gubernatorial primary along with then-Lt. Governor Mary Taylor. Because it appeared that DeWine and Husted could split the center-right vote, which could reasonably have allowed Ms. Taylor to win after consolidating the political right, a deal was cut.
Mr. Husted offered then-Attorney General DeWine a proposition where he would exit the Governor's race and run as the latter's Lt. Governor running mate. Mr. DeWine accepted the arrangement and the two went onto victories in both the 2018 Republican primary and general elections. In 2022, the DeWine-Husted ticket won re-election with just over 62% of the vote.
Their teamwork plan included DeWine then supporting Husted for Governor in 2026, something that the Governor was prepared to do until the state's junior Senator, Mr. Vance, was elected Vice President. At first, the Lt. Governor indicated he wanted to stay in the Governor's race and battle Attorney General Dave Yost for the party nomination. It always appeared, however, that Mr. Husted was the obvious choice to take the Senate seat and was eventually prevailed upon to do so.
Now businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is, with great fanfare, about to enter the Republican gubernatorial primary and polling suggests he begins with an overwhelming lead. State Treasurer Robert Sprague, who was briefly a gubernatorial candidate, exited the Governor's race and endorsed Ramaswamy who is not yet even an official contender. Term-limited Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2022 and was considered a potential entry into the Governor's race, late last week announced instead a bid for State Auditor.
Therefore, DeWine's move to Tressel could be a plan to at least make the Republican gubernatorial campaign more competitive should the latter man, popular with high name ID due to his championship run as an Ohio State football coach, decide to run for Governor.
Mr. Tressel coached at Ohio State for ten years and won a national championship. He resigned under a cloud, however, as the University was cited for recruitment violations under his domain. Prior to his coaching tenure with the state's premier college football program, he coached for 14 seasons at Youngstown State. Regardless of the details concerning his exit from Ohio State, Mr. Tressel still enjoys a generally positive personal image.
At the apex of his coaching career, it was speculated upon that Mr. Tressel might mount challenges to then-Sen. Sherrod Brown (D). In both of those election years, however, Mr. Tressel chose not to run. Therefore, it is far from certain that he will enter the current Governor's race.
For his part, Mr. Ramaswamy says he will make "a big announcement" in late February. All expect him to announce his gubernatorial candidacy at that time. Certainly, his involvement, and now possibly Mr. Tressel's, is making the open Ohio Governor's campaign possibly the premier 2026 political contest in terms of attracting national media attention. Expect this pattern to continue for quite some time.
Jim Ellis is a 35-year veteran of politics at the state and national levels. He has served ss executive director for two national political action committees, as well as a consultant to the three national Republican Party organizations in DC, the National Federation of Independent Business, and various national conservative groups.
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, he earned a B. A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis in 1979. Jim raised his daughter, Jacqueline, alone after his wife died following a tragic car accident. He helped establish the Joan Ellis Victims Assistance Network in Rochester, NH. Jim also is a member of the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association, which officiates high school games throughout the region.
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