Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has suspended his campaign for governor, clearing the field in the Republican primary for Vivek Ramaswamy.
Yost told supporters Friday that he chose to end his campaign after concluding that his fight to win the Republican nomination had gone from a “steep climb” to a “vertical cliff” after the state party chose to support Ramaswamy.
“I do not wish to divide my political party or my state with a quixotic battle over the small differences between my vision and that of my opponent,” Yost wrote in his message. “I am simply not that important.”
Yost’s step back from the race comes just one week after the Ohio Republican Party voted to back Ramaswamy as their candidate for governor. Following that announcement, the attorney general’s campaign team released a statement indicating he would decide after consulting with supporters.
His decision leaves Ramaswamy — the biotech entrepreneur turned presidential hopeful in 2024 — as the lone candidate in the Republican primary.
Ramaswamy had been a strong contender in the race even before the Ohio GOP’s support and Yost’s exit after securing an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
But the nomination isn’t sealed for Ramaswamy just yet. The Republican primary is almost a year away, and he could face a challenge from Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel.
The lieutenant governor — a famed Ohio State football coach — has confirmed he’s considering entering the race, and he has a powerful ally in termed-out Gov. Mike DeWine, who elevated Tressel to lieutenant governor in February.
Yost will remain as attorney general through January 2027, and he left the door open for another political run in the future.
“I will continue to fight for Ohio and Ohioans during that time—and I suspect that this is not my final chapter,” Yost said.
