GOP treasurer candidate announces run

SANDUSKY — The race to elect a new governor of Ohio may get a new candidate soon. Democrat Tim Ryan, a former U.S. House member from the Youngstown area and a 2022 candidate for the U.S. Senate who lost to J.D. Vance, soon will decide whether to run for governor, a spokesman said. Sherrod Brown's recent announcement that he plans to run for the Senate again next year against Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted has helped clear the way for other Democrats to announce their plans. "Since Sherrod Brown announced he was running for the U.S. Senate, Tim Ryan's phone has been blowing up," Ryan's spokesman Dennis Willard said. "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." Dr. Amy Acton, former director of the state health department under Gov. Mike DeWine, has been running for months as a Democrat, so if Ryan gets into the race, the pair could face off in a primary. Ryan, 52, was in the U.S. House from 2003 to 2023. He ran for president in 2020 but did not get much traction and soon withdrew. Vivek Ramaswamy is considered the frontrunner in the governor's race among Ohio Republicans. Other Republicans who were running for governor have been dropping out. Meanwhile, Republicans recently picked up another statewide candidate. Jay Edwards, a former state representative, announced on Aug. 20 that he is running for Ohio treasurer. He is the former chairman of the Ohio House Finance Committee. He was ineligible to run for re-election in the House last year because of term limits. "I know that Ohio's money belongs to the taxpayers, not the pet projects of lobbyists," Edwards said. "A son of Appalachia, I understand that access to capital can mean access to opportunity. As Ohio's next State Treasurer, I will work to ensure that Ohio is among the best states to raise a family and start a business," Edwards said. Other Republicans running for state treasurer, according to Ballotpedia, are: • Niraj Antani, a former state lawmaker in both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate from Montgomery County • State Sen. Kristina Daley Roegner, R-Hudson • Mike Zuren No Democrats have entered the race yet, according to Ballotpedia. Ohio's current state treasurer is Robert Spague, a Republican. Sprague is now running to be Ohio's next secretary of state, seeking to replace Frank LaRose, who is leaving the office because of term limits. LaRose is running for state auditor.