The announcement eases the path for the former Republican presidential candidate and billionaire biotech entrepreneur.
After months of speculation that he would enter the race, former Ohio State University head football coach and current Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said on Sept. 19 that he would not run for governor.
Tressel’s decision eases the path to Columbus for billionaire biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who announced his Ohio gubernatorial bid in February.
“I believe that our crucial opportunities in the areas of education and workforce deserve my full attention for the remainder of my term,” Tressel wrote in a post on X.
“My goal is to help finish the amazing work started by the DeWine-Husted administration. Ohio is winning, and it must continue!”
Tressel referenced the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge, which he started with former Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.
“By helping students build lifelong habits around fitness, nutrition, and sleep, we’re laying the foundation for a brighter future in the classroom, in the workforce, and across every community in the Buckeye State. This is more than a challenge; it’s a movement that will truly make a difference,” Tressel said in his post.
Tressel was head coach of the Ohio State national championship team in 2002. He has also served as president of Youngstown State University.
Ramaswamy, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party, faced a challenge from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost earlier this year, but Yost suspended his campaign in May.
Entrepreneur Heather Hill was the only other candidate in the 2026 Ohio Republican gubernatorial primary until she recently announced she was leaving the Republican party and would continue her gubernatorial campaign as an independent or third-party candidate.
Current Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited. He chose the 72-year-old Tressel as his lieutenant governor in February to fill the spot vacated by Jon Husted, who DeWine chose to fill the remainder of JD Vance’s U.S. Senate term when Vance became vice president.
Husted faces a special election in 2026 to retain his seat for the remainder of Vance’s unexpired term. On May 9, the state GOP also voted to endorse Husted.
Amy Acton, who was director of Ohio’s health department early in the COVID-19 pandemic, is running as a Democrat.
