OH-GOV: Democrat Tim Ryan won't run for Ohio governor

[RandySF]

Former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) will not run for governor of the Buckeye state in 2026, he said Friday, sidestepping a contentious and likely pricey Democratic primary and paving the way for widely endorsed Democratic candidate Amy Acton to secure the party’s nomination.

“After careful consideration, much prayer and reflection, and after long conversations with my family, my closest friends and advisors, I’ve made the decision not to run for governor in 2026,” Ryan said in a statement.

The former representative had reportedly been preparing his team for a potential bid. His decision clears the candidate field for Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health who helmed the state’s response to Covid-19.

Ryan’s move away from the race now sets up a likely face-off in 2026 between Acton and Republican and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, endorsed by President Donald Trump. Both candidates have drawn handfuls of endorsements: Acton has received strong support from local officials and state lawmakers, and Ramaswamy has backing from a line-up of major labor unions as well as the Ohio Republican Party and the president.


https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/21/congress/tim-ryan-ohio-governor-00664633

[Prairie Gates]

1. Probably a good thing

Ohio is probably a lost cause anyway, at least for the time being.

[SaydiTom]

2. labor unions endorsing Vivek??

[madinmaryland]

3. That's bizarre. Police unions maybe?

[TheRickles]

4. Yeah, I wondered about that. Maybe a DUer from Ohio can clarify.

[MagickMuffin]

8. Link below provided here: it appears the unions are in the FO phase

“I don’t get this, except maybe pragmatism,” Quinn said on the podcast. “There’s no doubt which party supports unions and which does not... Maybe it’s that because Ohio is so red that the only way to have any influence in Columbus is to be inside instead of on the outside. But there is no way Ramaswamy is not going to stick it to the unions.”

The endorsements come from carpenters, plumbers, building and construction trades, teamsters, and operating engineers unions – traditionally Democratic allies who are now backing a candidate with a documented anti-union history. As reporter Lisa Garvin explained: “Ramaswamy has been a vocal critic of unions previously, particularly teachers unions. He’s actually said that unions for federal workers and local teachers unions shouldn’t exist at all.”

Ramaswamy appears to have offered ;iyy;r in return. Quinn pointed out: “He’s getting their endorsement without making a single concrete promise that is public. You can’t trust him if he won’t go public with it. If he’s telling them privately what he’s going to do, why would they believe him?”

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/11/the-puzzling-case-of-labor-unions-backing-anti-labor-vivek-ramaswamy-for-ohio-governor.html

[Celerity]

9. The unions endorsing Vivek so far:

Labor unions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Ohio_gubernatorial_election

Affiliated Construction Trades of Ohio

Carpenters Local 2

Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters

Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council

International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18

Millwrights and Pile Drivers Local Union 1090

Northwest Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council

Ohio Conference of Teamsters

Ohio Laborers' District Council

Ohio State Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters

Plus

the Construction Employers Association

[Diamond_Dog]

5. From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/11/the-puzzling-case-of-labor-unions-backing-anti-labor-vivek-ramaswamy-for-ohio-governor.html

[niyad]

6. How many women are in the unions that are endorsing viv? How many

in leadershiip?

[KentuckyWoman]

7. My crazy opinion

is he's keeping his powder dry in hopes things turn around. We'll see a lot of that. I think in Ohio they'll have a long wait. My local Nextdoor hub has 2 dozen people bloviating in there about how every Democrat in America should be hung for treason. Even offering to bring the rope. Pretty disgusting.

Yes I understand 2 dozen posters are probably actually 1 or 2 with multiple logins, and nothing in balance of the millions in Ohio, but the fact they think they can do it with impunity says a lot about the world we now live in.