YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel will not seek the Republican nomination for governor.
Tressel made the announcement about 1 p.m. Friday on the social media platform X.
“It has been an extraordinary honor of a lifetime for Ellen and me to serve alongside Gov Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine. After considerable thought and prayer, we have decided not to run for governor in 2026,” he said in the post.
“I believe that our crucial opportunities in the areas of education and workforce deserve my full attention for the remainder of our term. My goal is to help finish the amazing work started by the DeWine-Husted Administration,” he continued.
DeWine appointed Tressel lieutenant governor earlier this year to succeed Jon Husted, after DeWine appointed him to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by J.D. Vance when he was elected vice president.
Tressel was president of Youngstown State University from 2014 until retiring in early 2023. Before that, he was head football coach at YSU and The Ohio State University, where he coached both schools’ teams to national championships.
Since joining the DeWine administration, he has worked with Ted Ginn Jr. to launch the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge, an initiative that “reflects the administration’s commitment to helping all Ohioans reach their potential.”
Tressel’s decision all but ensures entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will be the Republican nominee for governor. In May, the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Ramaswamy, a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, as the GOP nominee for Ohio governor.
The race would have been the first run for office for Tressel.
Declared candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor include former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, a Youngstown native who rose to national prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic. Former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, who represented the Mahoning Valley in Congress for two decades, also is pondering a run.
Pictured at top: Jim Tressel speaks after being named to serve as lieutenant governor by Gov. Mike DeWine, at right, on Feb. 11, 2025.