Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, a political rookie, decides not to run for governor

By Canadian Press on September 19, 2025.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Ohio State football coach and current Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said Friday he won’t run for Ohio governor in 2026, easing the path toward a Republican nomination for biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy was endorsed by President Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party. Amy Acton, who led Ohio’s health department early in the COVID-19 pandemic, is running as a Democrat.

Tressel, 72, is a political rookie. Term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine chose the championship-winning coach and university administrator in February to succeed Jon Husted, who was appointed to JD Vance’s U.S. Senate seat after Vance was elected vice president with Trump.

Julie Carr Smyth, The Associated Press

6
-5