Attorney General Dave Yost is now in the race for the Republican nomination for governor next year, after weeks of teasing a coming campaign.
鈥淭he bottom line is, I'm ready," Yost said in an interview. "We've been preparing for this for quite some time鈥攑robably the worst-kept secret on Capitol Square鈥攁nd there just wasn't any reason to wait any longer. I wanted to put my flag in the ground and start running.鈥�
The move comes after Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was appointed to the U.S. Senate, and before billionaire tech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy joins the race, as he's expected to do soon.
Yost helped fuel the conversation around his candidacy with a with a black-and-white video showing him walking up to the governor鈥檚 Statehouse office. On Thursday he reshared that video, now in color, announcing he鈥檚 officially in.
The term-limited AG had filed a designation of treasurer form in 2023, suggesting he was considering another statewide run. He started dropping hints about the 2026 race for governor on election night, when he was asked if he would want to replace JD Vance in the U.S. Senate after he was elected vice president.
鈥淚鈥檓 an executive," Yost said. I鈥檝e never been a legislator, and I'm not ready to end my public service, but I can鈥檛 imagine going to Washington, D.C. I would not accept that appointment.鈥�
Yost said he knows it鈥檚 going to be an expensive primary even before a costly election.
鈥淎m I gonna have more money than Vivek? Um, no. But honestly, you don't need the most money, you need enough money and we're going to have enough and then some.鈥�
The 2018 race for governor was the most expensive in state history, with $43.5 million dollars raised by Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat Richard Cordray. The 2010 governor's race was the costliest before that, with $30.4 million raised by Republican John Kasich and incumbent Democrat Ted Stri