WARREN, Ohio – Former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan said Friday he will not run for Ohio governor, ending months of speculation that he would challenge former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton for the Democratic nomination.
“After careful consideration, much prayer and reflection, and after long conversations with my family, my closest friends and advisors, I’ve made the decision to not run for governor in 2026,” Ryan said in a statement issued to media outlets.
Ryan, a Niles native, represented the Mahoning Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives for 20 years before losing to JD Vance – now vice president – in 2022 in the race for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Rob Portman.
Acton, a Youngstown native who served as ODH director in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, announced her candidacy for Ohio governor in January. She issued a statement following Ryan’s announcement Friday morning that did not directly address her fellow Mahoning Valley native’s decision.
“No matter what corner of the state I’m in, it’s clear Ohioans are struggling with rising costs. Whether it’s health care, childcare, gas or groceries, there’s too much money going out and not enough coming in,” she said.
“And while the special interests that run our state are doing just fine, they’ve made a mess for the rest of us, and I will not allow a billionaire Washington insider like Vivek Ramaswamy take us down an even worse path,” she continued. “I’m running for governor because it’s time for a change. Together, we can lower costs, give Ohioans a little breathing room, and build the Ohio we all deserve.”
Ramaswamy, a businessman, former presidential candidate and ally of President Donald Trump, is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for governor.
“While the democrats have spent months fighting to secure their shrinking base, Vivek has been talking to voters of all political persuasions to build an unprecedented coalition of support that includes conservative leaders and farmers to truckers and labor unions – and we’re just getting started,” Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign, said following Ryan’s announcement.
In a statement issued Friday afternoon, Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Kathleen Clyde said she looks forward to electing Acton and Democrats “up and down the ticket in 2026.” As governor, Acton would “fight for lower costs, clean up corruption in the statehouse and give power back to the people by ending partisan gerrymandering once and for all.”
She also called Ramaswamy “a special interest billionaire who flies around the country on a private jet calling Ohioans ‘lazy’ and ‘mediocre’ while pushing an agenda that will raise costs for Ohioans and pad his bottom line, just like he’s done his entire career.”