Tim Ryan, the former congressman whose presence has hung over next year’s Democratic primary election for Ohio governor, announced Friday that he has decided not to run after all.
The announcement is an about-face from the months of signals from Ryan that he was increasingly likely to run – including publicly directing aides to begin preparing a potential campaign last month.
But Ryan issued a statement on Friday: “After careful consideration, much prayer and reflection, and after long conversation with my family, my closest friends and advisors, I’ve made the decision not to run for governor in 2026.”
With Ryan bowing out, next year’s race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine now seems set. Dr. Amy Acton, DeWine’s former state health director, remains the lone Democratic candidate running for governor, while entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has cleared the field for the GOP nomination.
More about Tim Ryan
Ryan now lives in suburban Columbus but represented the Youngstown area in Congress from 2003 to 2023. He gained a national profile when he ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, mounting a much stronger campaign than many expected against Republican JD Vance. Vance won — later becoming vice president after Donald Trump’s victory — while Ryan finished about 6 points behind, far closer than the 24-point drubbing Democrats saw in the governor’s race that year.
In the months after that defeat, Ryan ruled out a return to politics and launched a lucrative consulting business that included representing natural gas and cryptocurrency interests.
But Ryan began teasing a possible comeback in late 2024 in the days following Trump’s election.
“People have been calling me and saying, ‘Keep your options open,'” Ryan told Signal in a November 2024 interview. “So I’m keeping my options open right now.”
Acton meanwhile became the first and only major Democratic governor candidate after she launched her campaign in January 2025. Some Democrats, especially those with close ties to the state’s largest labor unions, were skeptical of her ability to win, given her lack of prior experience running for office and her close association to the divisive coronavirus pandemic era.
But over the last several months, Acton has consolidated support among Democratic insiders, picking up endorsements from elected officials statewide. She has also benefited from behind-the-scenes encouragement from former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who Acton has said urged her to run.
Brown, who is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted next year, has publicly remained neutral in the governor’s race while Ryan weighed a bid. But Brown’s wife, journalist Connie Schultz, recently endorsed Acton, signaling where Brown’s inner circle stood.
A couple recent polls also have shown Acton running neck-and-neck with Ramaswamy, which has helped convince some Democrats of Acton’s viability, even though polls have consistently undermeasured Republican support in Ohio over the past decade.
Acton’s campaign issued a statement on Friday after Ryan’s announcement directed at Ramaswamy.
“No matter what corner of the state I’m in, it’s clear Ohioans are struggling with rising costs,” Acton said. Whether it’s healthcare, childcare, gas or groceries, there’s too much money going out and not enough coming in. 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. 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’s campaign also issued a statement through spokesperson Connie Luck.
“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,” Luck said.
Top of the 2026 ticket seems set for Republicans, Democrats
Ryan’s exit from the race should free up more institutional support for Acton – like labor union endorsements and other potential donors. The lack of a major Democratic opponent also will allow Acton to avoid pressure from taking more liberal political stances that could hurt her with Ohio’s right-leaning electorate, and allow her to save campaign funds for her matchup with Ramaswamy.
Both factors could help Democrats, who face an uphill battle in Ohio, be in better position for the November election – although some argue competitive primaries force candidates to be sharper and more attuned to the public.
However, it also seems it will leave primary voters in both parties without a choice next year.
As of now, Acton and Brown are running without major opponents, as are Ramaswamy and Husted.
This story was updated.