Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel confirms he's considering a run for governor [View all]

May 8, 2025, 6:48 PM EDT / Updated May 8, 2025, 7:40 PM EDT

By Henry J. Gomez

CLEVELAND — Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a Republican and a former Ohio State football coach, confirmed Thursday that he is considering a run for governor in 2026.

Tressel, who previously said he was not thinking about a bid but stopped short of ruling one out, indicated in a statement first shared with NBC News that his thinking has changed.

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Allies of Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur whose candidacy for governor is backed by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, are pushing hard to win the endorsement over state Attorney General Dave Yost. But term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine has been calling committee members urging them to hold off, citing the possibility that other candidates could jump in the race, NBC News reported this week.

DeWine’s effort has been viewed by many party insiders as a move to keep the state party from committing advertising and organizational resources to Ramaswamy before Tressel makes a decision. The governor picked Tressel to be his deputy less than three months ago, immediately triggering speculation that he was grooming him for even higher office.

“I think he would like to forestall an endorsement taking place, because I think he would like to see if he can convince Jim Tressel to run for governor,” one Republican leader in the state said of DeWine this week.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/ohio-lt-gov-jim-tressel-confirms-considering-run-governor-rcna205734