Republican Vivek Ramaswamy will launch his bid for Ohio governor on Feb. 24 in his native Cincinnati, with ensuing events in the Columbus, Toledo and Cleveland areas.

Former Ohio health director Amy Acton says she's considering a run for governor in 2026.

FILEIn this file photo from Oct. 6, 2020, Jane Timken, the Chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party, speaks at the Hamilton County Board of Elections during early voting in Norwood, Ohio. Timken, who has been linked closely to Donald Trump, stepped down Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 as the party's chair, a signal of her interest in running for the U.S. Senate for the seat being left by the GOP's Rob Portman. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)CINCINNATI – An Ohio Republican linked closely to Donald Trump stepped down Friday as the party’s chair, a signal of her interest in running for the U.S. Senate for the seat being left by the GOP’s Rob Portman. With Trump’s backing, Jane Timken took over the party leadership from a state chair allied with former Gov. In her last Tweet before her announcement, Timken criticized Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, an Ohio Republican, for voting for Trump's impeachment.

Mike DeWine in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic made her something of a folk hero and role model for Ohio girls. Kasich has said he won't run, but Johnson warned Kasich would try to get an “elitist” elected to the seat. AdFormer Treasurer Kevin Boyce and state House Democratic leader Rep. Emilia Sykes, who both are Black, are among other potential Democratic contenders. Acton’s political experience is limited, and involves volunteering for former President Barack Obama’s 2008 Democratic primary campaign in Ohio. Cranley said the emerging prospect of a strong Democratic battle for the Senate seat is good news for other statewide candidates.

An open Senate seat in Ohio has set off a round of jockeying among ambitious Democrats and a spirited debate over who is best poised to lead a party comeback in a one-time battleground that has been trending Republican. While Acton and Ryan are believed to be the furthest along in their deliberations, several politicians who are Black are also eyeing the seat. The group is working to recruit a Black candidate for the Senate seat, he said. AdStill, Ryan got a boost Saturday when Hillary Clinton, the party’s 2016 presidential nominee, declared on Twitter that she was “all in” for a Ryan Senate candidacy. For some Ohio Democrats the cautionary tale is 2018, when a group of female gubernatorial candidates all ceded their ambitions to former Obama administration consumer chief Richard Cordray, who lost the race.

Acton has resigned as Ohio's health director, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday, June 11, 2020, capping a contentious few months as the target of frustrations during the coronavirus pandemic that included gun-carrying critics showing up at her home. Dr. Amy Acton played a highly public role in Ohios early and aggressive fight against the coronavirus, transcending the confines of the laboratory to appear daily on television screens during Gov. Within a week, and on the advice of Acton, a former public health professor and researcher, he became the first governor to shut down schools statewide. The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, which represented Vicki Brearley, owner of the National Road Diner, had previously sought the cases dismissal, arguing that criminalizing conduct based only on the orders of the state health director was unconstitutional.