YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel deflected a question about potentially entering the race for Ohio governor next year during his visit to America Makes on Thursday to announce the new Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense.
Tressel was named lieutenant governor earlier this month to replace Jon Husted, who was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance. DeWine is term limited and cannot seek re-election.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, an ally of President Donald Trump, announced Monday that he would run for governor and received Trump’s endorsement.
Asked whether that affected his decision-making process regarding whether he would run to succeed DeWine in 2026, Tressel said he and DeWine hadn’t discussed it. He also said that back when he was Youngstown State University’s head football coach in the 1980s and 1990s, he prided himself on the fact that he and his team “never thought about anything other than the game we were playing.”
Other Republicans who have announced their intention to run for the GOP nomination include state Attorney General David Yost and entrepreneur Heather Hill.
Dr. Amy Acton, former director of the Ohio Department of Health under DeWine and a Youngstown native, declared she is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
Pictured at top: Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel speaks during Thursday’s announcement of the new Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense.