Ex-congressman Tim Ryan eyes Ohio comeback with 2026 gubernatorial run

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Former Ohio congressman Tim Ryan will decide by the end of next month whether to mount a 2026 campaign for governor, now that fellow Democrat Sherrod Brown has opted out of the race to run for U.S. Senate.

Brown, who lost his U.S. Senate seat last fall and who sources said was mulling a gubernatorial bid,

has entered the 2026 race against Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Now, Nexstar’s WCMH NBC4 has confirmed that Ryan is seriously considering a run for the Ohio governor’s mansion next year. Watch a previous NBC4 report on Ryan’s possible gubernatorial run in the video player above.

“Since Sherrod Brown announced he was running for the U.S. Senate, Tim Ryan’s phone has been blowing up,” said Dennis Willard, Ryan’s spokesperson, in a statement. “He really appreciates everyone reaching out to him and asking him to run for governor. He will make a final decision sometime by Sept. 30.”

Should Ryan enter the race, he will be vying for the Democratic nomination against former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, who announced her run in January and has since raised about $1.4 million. Acton boasts endorsements from state Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, political action committee 314 Action, and Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney.

The matchup could set up a costly primary contest for Democrats. High-profile Ohio labor leaders were encouraging Brown to run for governor, and have yet to endorse a candidate.

In a previous interview with NBC4, state Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) said Brown or Ryan “are the only two people that can win for governor next year.” DeMora claimed the Democratic party’s candidates for other statewide offices, like attorney general and secretary of state, “will come out of the woodwork” once Ryan declares his candidacy.

“We need to get a good candidate, and again, I’ve always said Sherrod Brown or Tim Ryan,” DeMora said. “[Democrats have] great candidates who right now are a little skittish about running because they don’t think that the person at top of the ticket can win statewide right now. So, I’m hoping that one of those two decides to run.”

A 2026 run for governor would act as a comeback for Ryan, who served in the U.S. Congress for Ohio’s 13th and 17th districts from 2003 to 2023 until unsuccessfully running for the U.S. Senate in 2022 against now Vice President J.D. Vance. That Democratic primary saw Ryan beat former Obama consumer protection official Morgan Harper and Columbus activist Traci Johnson.

Ryan teased a possible run for the governor’s mansion in a May NBC4 interview, where he said Ohio Democrats need to rebrand. He argued a majority of the state’s voters agree with the party’s ideas, pointing to Democrat-led constitutional amendments that passed in 2023, legalizing recreational marijuana and protecting access to abortion.

“On many of the issues, the people of Ohio are aligned with Democrats,” Ryan said. “But, then you put the ‘D’ by the name and say, ‘Oh, this person is going to go work with Chuck Schumer,’ then the whole dialogue changes at that point, so I think we need a complete rebrand.”

The Democratic primary’s winner will likely face Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, the billionaire and 2024 presidential candidate who began his run in February and has raised $9.7 million, setting a record for the largest first-quarter fundraising total in Ohio history. He touts endorsements from Ohio’s Republican Party, political action committee Ohio Corn & Wheat, and President Donald Trump.

Republican Heather Hill, an entrepreneur from Appalachia, tossed her name in the race but has struggled to gain traction. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced his bid in January, then dropped out in May and has since supported Ramaswamy. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, who replaced Husted as the state’s second in command, is also said to be considering a run.