COLUMBUS, Ohio — The first television ads for Ohio’s governor’s race, which is still more than a year away, aired this week. The early onslaught by a super PAC aligned with Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy demonstrated how quickly the former bellwether state’s ruling Republicans are seizing the spotlight and claiming five statewide executive offices that will open in 2026.
All that urgency begs a question: Where are Ohio Democrats?
Following a pair of difficult losses last year — the bitter defeat of three-term U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown to Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, and voters’ rejection of the anti-gerrymandering amendment known as Issue 1 — the party’s efforts to build anything close to a winning 2026 ticket have so far been muted, and some believe they are moving too slowly.
Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director who helped guide Ohio through the early stages of the pandemic, is running for governor as a Democrat, gradually gathering financial support and launching a statewide campaign.
Though she rose to prominence after appearing on daily COVID-19 briefings broadcast statewide in early 2020, Acton is also a newcomer to politics who lacks the political clout of someone like Brown, who had consistently won statewide victories for decades prior to last year.
Meanwhile, only two Democrats have launched campaigns: Brian Hambley, a southwest Ohio oncologist and first-time candidate for secretary of state, and Elliot Forhan, a tainted former state representative running for attorney general.
The lack of activity coincides with Democrats’ broader national struggles to unite around a strategy to counter the actions of President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their Republican congressional allies.
The debate over how to respond has divided party leaders, with some advocating for a low-key approach despite angry citizens crowding congressional town halls, clogging Capitol Hill phone lines, and staging protests and marches in the streets.
Others want the party to take a more aggressive approach to combating November’s crushing defeats at the national and state levels.
“People are being quiet right now, sort of circling the wagons, trying to figure out how to respond,” said Dr. J. Cherie Strachan, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
As he left the Senate in December, Brown promised to return to politics in some capacity. According to several party insiders who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, this is one of the reasons why other aspiring Ohio Democrats are waiting.
Others argue that Republicans are starting too early, not Democrats who are late.
It is unclear whether Brown will run, and if so, what office he may seek. It could be the governorship, resulting in a contested primary against Acton. It could be the United States Senate seat previously held by Vice President JD Vance, which his successor Jon Husted must defend next year.
Brown recently published a treatise in The New Republic magazine advocating for the restoration of the national Democratic Party with a pro-worker message, sparking speculation that he may run for president.
Greg Beswick, a former Ohio Democratic Party executive director, predicts that once Brown’s plans are revealed, a large number of other Democrats will be prepared.
Though Democrats haven’t won a statewide executive office in Ohio in 20 years, he said the party is looking for Trump and Musk’s approval ratings to fall in 2026, creating opportunities.
“I do think that they’re going to be able to recruit folks and be able to run when they start seeing these items,” he told me. “To be honest, I believe Republicans have had it easier. It’s a shuffle of the deck for people who want to keep their jobs.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is running for Governor, Auditor Keith Faber for Attorney General, Secretary of State Frank LaRose for Auditor, and Treasurer Robert Sprague for Secretary of State.
Aside from Brown, other high-profile Democrats thought to be considering runs in 2026 include former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, who lost a tighter-than-expected Senate race to Vance in 2022; Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, who won key Republican concessions for her party last session; and former U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach, a former Ohio attorney general candidate who led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives under President Joe Biden.
Katie Seewer, an Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson, said they expect at least one Democratic candidate to emerge in each of the statewide races. She said the party has seen a lot of interest in organizing events across the state.
“People are fired up and ready to go,” she told me.
Strachan stated that contested primaries would greatly benefit the party by attracting media attention and energizing voters.
